


Meet the Parents

by Gia2312



Category: Bloodbound (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2020-10-14 08:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 65,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20597654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gia2312/pseuds/Gia2312
Summary: I used the default Main character name of Amy - her and Kamilah are getting together and there is also an idea to meet Amy's parents. I am considering this an alternate timeline that begins after Bloodbound 2 and centers around Amy's Bloodkeeper lineage and a possible connection to Rheya. I have made some adjustments, to earlier chapters, with what was released in Boodbound 3 chapeter 1, but basically this is my own ideas of what "could" happen with Rheya and how events will unfold for Vampires in general





	1. Alive

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after the end of Bloodbound 2 - I was missing my Kamilah so thought I would attempt to move the story on, atleast until the third book comes out. I will be posing the continuing chapters as they are completed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy is a Vampire, just learning her way, and reveling in her love of Kamilah, the ancient Vampire she has always adored. But how much of life will change now that Amy is on an equal footing with the once powerful Kamilah

Darkness surrounds Amy, she feels enclosed, and different, so much different. Her memory is fuzzy at best. The last thing she recalls is Gaius turning into a tree, then darkness encroaching. And she remembers Kamilah, her deep brown eyes filled with love and sadness looking down upon her as she lies in her arms. It is difficult to breath, blood gurgles in her throat and then darkness surrounded her.

As Amy lies there, trying to recall what happened, a ravenous hunger rises from within. A well loved voice sounds in her mind, as if a memory “You promised me Amy. You promised we would survive and live life together. I cannot let you go my love….”

Images run through her mind. Pictures of Adrian, Jax, Lilly and then of Rheya, so many different visions, confusing her so that she has not idea what is happening and the only thing that matters is her hunger. She needs to get out, to satiate this ravenous feeling.

That had been two weeks ago now, and still the scene played through Amy’s mind constantly. Her first sight of her love with Vampire eyes. Amy had known Kamilah was gorgeous, but with these new eyes the 2000 year old Vampire was beyond radiant. She had wanted to take Kamilah in her arms immediately, but Kamilah had been more cautious wanting to ease Amy into her new life. In fact for the past two weeks Kamilah had been almost completely absent while Adrian had taught her all she needed to know about controlling her strength and her hunger.

Now Amy stood in the conference room at Raines corp, looking out the windows. They were still repairing all the damage from Gaius and his brief reign. Adrian had asked her to come here, but had not said why. Amy had been waiting for 10 minutes or so, wondering what was going on, when an all too familiar scent came to her. It was a scent she had fallen in love with, a scent she had always found relaxing, and yet one that quickened her heart a pace. Amy breathed deeply, standing up straighter and without turning “Kamilah?”

Mere seconds after she spoke Amy felt arms move around her waist, felt the familiar warmth radiate from the woman she had fallen in love with, and the scent of lavender intoxicated her. A hand moved up, brushing aside her black hair and a pair of warm, soft lips touched gently to her neck. She shivered at the electric tingle shooting through her nerves. Oh how she had always loved what Kamilah could do to her, and now those lips felt so much softer and hotter than ever before.

Kamilah pulled Amy closer, kissing her neck softly, holding her love, a love she had feared she would lose. Amy spun around and for the first time in two weeks she beheld the face of the beautiful Kamilah. Gazing upon her, Amy became lost in analyzing the power and beauty that radiated from the Egyptian. God the woman was beyond beautiful, more so than ever before, and with hungry lips Amy moved her head closer. Kamilah smiled, leaning inward and their lips met in the most amazing kiss Amy had ever experienced. Their lips moved together, tongues snaking as their kiss deepened. Amy had kissed Kamilah plenty of times before and every time had always been the most amazing kiss, but now it was so much more. Amy felt so much more, was aware of everything, her senses were on fire and filled with passion and want. Her arms tightened around Kamilah, almost trying to pull the woman inside her.

She pulled back gasping, trying to catch her breath “Wow” and Kamilah laughed gently “My thoughts exactly”. Amy leaned in and kissed her again, then again, before pulling back to look at Kamilah “Where have you been?”  
“I thought it best to stay away while you learned your strength.”  
“Why?”  
“It is easier to learn without the distraction of other passions” Kamilahs eyes were alight with joy, love and perhaps a little bit of worry.  
“I see. Well you might be right” Amy grinned “cause right now I really just want to get you into bed.”  
“Soon enough love, soon enough.”  
Amy pulled Kamilah closer whispering “I have missed you so much.”  
“And I have missed you my Amy.”

A cough at the door draws their attention and both women turn to see Adrian standing just inside the room, smiling at both of them. Kamilah smiles back at the Vampire who has been like a brother to her for centuries “Thank you my friend for taking care of Amy for me.”  
“You are more than welcome Kamilah” he glances fondly at Amy “she has done well in learning her strength  
“So what now?” Amy asked them  
Kamilah reached up and gently stroked her cheek “We continue rebuilding and live.”  
“I mean with us?”  
“You come home with me and we live.”  
“Just like that?”  
Kamilah took on the commanding tone Amy was more familiar with “Yes Amy. You will live with me.” Amy grinned at that, leaning into Kamilah “Yes my love. Whatever you wish.”  
“Good girl” Kamilah smiled

Kamilah turned, still holding Amy’s hand and led her toward the door. As they exited Adrian held up a hand “Amy I will see you at 8pm on Monday.”  
“Oh right. I guess I still work for you?”  
“Yes and we have lots to do.”

As Kamilah and Amy walked past her old desk outside of Adrians office her eyes fell upon a cheesy Best Assistant ever mug and she burst out laughing at the sight of it. Over her shoulder she called “Thanks for the mug Boss. See you on Monday.”

They stepped off the elevator into Kamilah’s penthouse and Kamilah pulled Amy into her arms, their lips meeting in the most passionate kiss Amy had ever felt. Their lips moved together, arms tightening around each other and then Amy felt her lips parted by Kamilahs forceful tongue as it pushed into her own mouth. Her breath caught in her throat nerves tingled all over her body. Her heart hammered in her chest, her mind was afire with passion and she could barely breathe.

Pulling back Kamilah said “And now its time for you to be completely mine”  
“You know that I am stronger than I was” Amy purred “I can be disobedient now.”  
Kamilah caressed Amy’s cheek “Oh my darling. Never forget I am far older and far more wily. I have commanded millions. You are mine my sweet.” That tone of command brought shivers to Amy, she smiled and hung her head subserviently, while glancing up at the beautiful woman. Kamilah nodded “Go to the bed and strip.” Amy obediently made her way to the bed, standing beside it she started to slowly strip. Her boots were kicked off, she teasingly pulled up her grey sweater, then pulled it over her head, hair flaring out. Standing in her pink bra, she faced Kamilah and slowly undone the buttons on her jeans.

Licking her lips, Kamilah watched with hungry eyes as her Amy teasingly stripped. When the jeans came down, she decided she had waited long enough and with a blur of motion she suddenly stood before the mostly naked Amy.

Amy gasped as Kamilahs hand stroked her stomach, moving up to her bra and with ease she pulled her nail through the strap, parting the material, while the other hand did the same to her panties, and Amy stood naked before her Queen. Looking at her almost reverently Amy whispered “What do you wish my Queen?”  
“I wish for you to be in my bed now.”

Moving slowly and sensuously Amy made her way onto the bed, laid on her back, one arm behind her head, and her legs spread. Kamilah stood admiring her for a second, licking lips hungrily and quickly pulled off her own clothes before moving smoothly onto the bed and atop Amy.

Amy felt Kamilahs weight upon her, the soft skin, the womans radiant heat and her arms automatically moved to hold her close, but Kamilah was still faster, grasping Amy’s wrists and holding them above her head “Uh uh” Kamilah shook her head “No touching until I allow it. I want to enjoy you first.” 

Kamilah secured Amy’s wrists to the handcuffs, then her lips brushed Amy’s neck, causing the younger Vampire to gasp. Kamilah busily kissed all around Amy’s neck, moving sensuously down over her breast bone, onto her breasts, following the kisses with some nips and licks. Amy writhed in ecstasy, eager to touch Kamilah, but knowing she had to behave and do as she was told. Amy felt Kamilahs lips and tongue move over her breasts and across her sensitive nipples and her body undulated against Kamilah as fire started to grow in her loins.

Slowly Kamilah kissed and licked her way down Amy’s body, moving slowly between her legs, nipping the inside thighs. Amy thrust her pelvis up when she felt Kamilahs breath on her, but Kamilah moved backward, laughing gently as she went back to kissing and nipping Amy’s inside thighs. Finally after an eternity Kamilahs mouth moved up and Amy finally felt her lovers tongue move inside her, and ecstasy rose within Amy. She bucked against Kamilah’s mouth, driving her tongue deeper and she felt it flick across her most sensitive area and she cried out “Kamilahhh”

After an endless time, Kamilah lifted her head up from Amy, grinning and licking her lips “Mmmm, I have missed that so much.” Then without another word Kamilah got up on her knees, straddling Amy and walked up her torso. Amy looked up, her breath catching in her throat at the most beautiful sight of Kamilah hovering above her. Amy’s mouth opened hungrily, she lurched up to try and taste Kamilah, but Kamilah hovered just out of range, teasing her a little  
“Please” begged Amy “Please, please Kamilah, I want to taste you” and Kamilah finally relented, lowering herself upon Amy. Amy’s tongue snaked out and finally slid inside Kamilah relishing the taste. Oh how she loved the taste of Kamilah and Amy lapped it up, sliding her tongue in as deep as she could, almost as if she was trying to crawl inside the woman. She lapped and Kamilah moved against her moaning and calling her name, oh it was too much, and then Amy felt Kamilah’s hand move between their legs and together the women cried in passion.

Hours later Amy lay in Kamilahs’ arms, snuggling up against her, while Kamilah gently stroked her hair. Amy turned her head “Kamilah?”  
“Mmmhmmm”  
“Will you tell me something”  
“Anything”  
“A couple of weeks ago, when I was dying” and Amy felt Kamilah tense at that thought but she continued “you were saying something to me”  
“Yes”  
“I want you to finish it.”  
Kamilah smiled gently “Very well, but I dont like to think of that moment. I dont like to think of how I lost you, even it if was temporary” Kamilah leaned up to look deeply into Amy’s eyes “I was saying Amy, I love you.”

Amy lost herself in Kamilah’s eyes. Never had she seen them so soft, bright and full of love. She reached up to caress the beautiful face “Kamilah. I love you too” and with a few more gentle kisses, both women drifted off to sleep.

Visions filled Amy’s dreams. She saw Rheya again, but this one didnt feel like before. It didnt feel like an old memory. Rheya stood before her, gloating. Amy looked left and saw her own hand around the throat of Kamilah. She gasped in shock as Rheya laughed “Kill her my pet” and even though Amy had no desire to do that, she felt an overwhelming need to fulfill that command and her hand began to squeeze. Kamilah choked and gasped, but her eyes never left Amy’s and never lost the light of love that filled them. Amy struggled but Rheya’s command was impossible to ignore. And Amy felt darkness rise up within her. Tears ran from her eyes, she cried out in despair “Noooo” she screamed, but her hand continued to tighten….

“Amy” came a concerned voice and a hand upon her shoulder. Amy startled awake with a gasp, and instincts kicked in. With a blur of movement she flipped over, her hand closing around the throat of the person next to her, another hand hovering claw like above the face, when the voice came again “Amy stop.” In shock Amy saw she was about to rip out Kamilah’s throat and she yanked her hands back with a cry “What have I become?”

Amy broke out crying, hugging herself, trying to rid herself of the feeling within the dream. Kamilah held her, rocking her and murmuring unintelligible words to soothe the woman she loved. Finally, after many minutes Amy got control of herself and was able to tell Kamilah about her dream. 

“It is just a dream my love.”  
“But before my dreams were more like memories and you were concerned about them”  
“Was this the same?”  
“No not really” Amy shook her head “it didn't feel like a memory”  
“Well there you are then” Kamilah tried to reassure her  
“No” Amy shook her head “it didn't feel like a memory, it felt real. I could feel the command from Rheya. I felt the darkness emanating from her and I felt darkness rising from within me.”  
“It may be nothing” Kamilah said  
“But it could be something” a worried frown marred the smooth skin of Amy’s forehead. Kamilah hugged her and said “What are you worried about Amy?”  
“I felt darkness within me” Amy turned away and in a small voice “we have no idea of the effect of a bloodkeeper becoming a vampire. There must be some link between my bloodline and that of Vampires, going back to the original. We do not know what could happen with my blood and the blood of Rheya mixing together. I am scared Kamilah. I am scared that I will turn dark. I feel it inside me.”  
“Listen to me” Kamilah spoke almost sharply, taking Amy’s chin and forcing her to look into her eyes “You are not dark. You will not be dark. You were the most remarkable mortal I have ever met and you will be the same as a vampire.”

Amy was somewhat reassured, but still something worried her, but she could see that Kamilah wasn’t ready to consider anything. She thought about it for a second, and then decided not to push the issue. Smiling a little, she turned to another subject to lighten the mood “You know what we need to do now that we are together.”  
“What is that?”  
“You need to meet my parents.” Amy grinned and Kamilah looked shocked  
“I am not sure that is such a good idea Amy.”  
“They will need to be told something Kamilah. Even if we don't tell them the whole truth they have the right to know I am happy and in love.”  
“Very well. We will have them come to New York for a few days. But I have misgivings over this."  
“We should get them to come up here next week then” Amy smiled at Kamilah “you are important to me, as are my parents. I need you all in my life right now.”

The two women fell asleep again, this time no dreams disturbed Amy’s sleep, but later something did awaken her. A silent call came to her from far away. A call she found nearly impossible to resist. With that call came darkness. She got out of bed, moved over to the window. It was still dark outside so she opened the curtains and stared out into New York, wondering who or what called her. As she stood there, she became lost in thought about everything. Her mind went back to the moment of her death. Her fear at leaving Kamilah, wanting to stay with her and fearing what would come next. Then she thought about the cold darkness she had felt within while laying in the sarcophagus, and the darkness she felt now. She thought about what her life would be like now, living forever young, and then she thought about the thing she would miss the most.

Kamilah stepped quietly up behind her. Amy felt soft hands move around her waist, a soft face brushing her shoulder and soft lips kissing her neck, then a whisper “What is it my love?”  
Holding Kamilah’s hands, Amy pulled them tighter around her “Just thinking my love and remembering.”  
“We all do that. I am sorry I know this might not have been what you would have chosen.”  
“Oh no” Amy said in reassuring tones “I did not want to leave you. I know that neither you, Adrian, Lilly or Jax turned me, but I want you to know I would have chosen this. I am slightly concerned about my parents. They were never in favour of me coming to New York and I am just worried about my bloodline. I am also remembering what life was like before.” She turned her head smiling “Loving you now is so much more than it was before, but there is something I will always miss.”  
“And what is that?”  
“I will miss you feeding upon me” Amy gently kissed Kamilah, drew the curtains closed and moved back to the bed.

To be continued


	2. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While exercising and combat training Amy shares her concerns with Kamilah over the bloodkeeper line, her anger and the darkness she feels.

Wooden short swords clacked together as Kamilah put Amy through her paces the next day. They had started out with knives and since Amy had picked it up fast she had decided to move on to more complicated weapons. Now they fought with two short swords, with Kamilah showing the moves, and Amy copying. Now they faced one another. Kamilah would swing a sword and Amy would block, then the other hand, then back again.

Amy’s bangs were drenched in sweat from the intensive workout. No wonder Kamilah was in such good shape if this was how she worked out. But then ‘Did Vampires gain weight’ Amy’s mind wandered and for her troubles she received a smart rap on the wrist with Kamilahs sword  
“Pay attention Amy” the older vampire reminded her  
Amy eyed Kamilah in awe and a little bit of jealousy. The woman had barely broken a sweat and she looked as sexy as ever, while Amy felt like a leaking downspout. Both women had put on tight fighting pants and top to workout in and Amy could hardly help but be distracted at the way the clothes clung to Kamilah’s frame. The woman was breathtakingly gorgeous, insanely hot and all hers.

Another rap on her arm, brought her mind back to their practice “Ok, ok. Sorry. I am paying attention now.”  
“Good, because let us pick up the pace” and Kamilah swung her swords with more speed, while Amy struggled to keep up her blocks and swings herself. Another few minutes passed with the clacking weapons and Amy’s panting breaths being the only sound, when Kamilah made a different move. She swung the sword in her right hand as normal, and Amy blocked, but then the left sword went low. Surprised, Amy was slow to react, but her vampire instincts got her there in time.  
“Good” Kamilah grinned “but you need to anticipate, not just rely upon your speed.” then a questioning look came across Kamilah’s face “Amy, earlier you mentioned you missed me feeding upon you.”  
“Mmmhmmm” Amy tried to move her swords, but Kamilah exerted pressure on them, keeping them in place “What did you mean by that?”  
“I mean what it sounds like. I miss being able to do that.”  
Kamilah grinned “Oh I can still bite you” she almost purred  
“I am sure” Amy smiled in return, but not as wide as Kamilahs “but its not quite the same.”

Kamilah swung her swords faster, the seconds between the clacking wood decreasing as Amy pushed herself to keep up ‘Explain what you mean Amy.”  
“It’s just that it was something I could do for you” and then “Ouch” Amy yelps, stepping back after receiving another hit on her wrist “I can’t do this Kamilah. I can’t tell you all this and fight at the same time.”  
“Of Course you can Amy. You just need to focus. You are a vampire. Your senses are far beyond those of a human. Let your senses and instincts guide you. Stop thinking and just let what your senses move your body.”

Amy nods, and with a deep breath steps up to face Kamilah again. Closing her eyes, Amy listens. She can hear so much more than she used to. She hears Kamilah’s heartbeat steadily. She hears the people on the floor below, feels the air flow around her body and even feel the air from Kamilah breathing. It is so much more than feeling and hearing. Her mind is aware of where people stand.

Watching the woman Kamilah smiles slightly. Her memories distant and long in the past, recalling what it was to first awaken the senses you were given as a Vampire. It could be overwhelming if not done with care. Without asking, or saying anything Kamilah moved and lashed out with the sword in her right hand. And Amy, without opening her eyes moves her sword to block. The next swing, and Amy blocks that too. Nodding Kamilah picks up the pace and Amy blocks each swing and then counters. The women swing at one another stepping forward and backward, moving around the room.

A minute passes and the speed increases, then Kamilah says “Tell me.”  
With a sigh, Amy is guided by her senses and gathers her thoughts “Feeding you was so much more than just a regular bite Kamilah. It was such an intimate experience for me. It was the one thing I had, when human, that I could give to you. It was something you needed and our connection made it one of the most intimate things I have done. There was a level of trust beyond anything I have experienced. I was completely open to you, at your mercy and I was giving you a part of myself that was more personal than anything. And it just felt soooooo good. And you know I did feed a couple of other vampires, but it was so much different with you. With you it was painless, and only ever pleasurable.”

Silence, except for the clacking of their practice swords surrounds them for a moment then Kamilah speaks “It would still be pleasurable you know.”  
“Oh I know love and I would not give up what we have now, nor all we can experience now that I am not as fragile. I am capable of feeling and doing so much more now and for that I am beyond happy, but there are sometimes I will simply miss the one thing I had to offer you when I was mortal.”  
“Oh my sweet thing” Kamilah purrs “you offered me so much more than that. There was more than just blood between us. You were and are a very rare person. You were kind, loving, optimistic and caring. You taught me how to live again and more than that, you showed me how to love.”

Opening her eyes, Amy sees Kamilah staring intently at her and just like when she was mortal, she became lost in those deep, deep brown eyes. A brown she had never beheld before Kamilah. So deep, so full of wisdom, experience, knowledge and now alight with love. Amy felt herself falling into those brown depths. Seeing this distraction, Kamilah picked up the pace even more, pushing Amy to new heights of speed with the short swords, but Amy was too distracted to keep up and receives a smart rap on her wrist, hard enough to make Amy cry out. Kamilah’s second sword sweeps in wringing the short sword from Amy’s right hand.

Dropping her sword, Amy yelps in pain. Her vision goes red, anger flaring up from within. The anger awakens the darkness and her anger gets stronger, roaring from within, demanding action. With a yell, Amy picks up both swords and lashes out at the source of her pain. Anger fueling yer Amy attacks with speed, pushing Kamilah back as the older vampire is caught off guard. Kamilah can barely defend against the attack, stepping back again and again, as she desperately uses both swords to fend off her lover. 

Sensing the wall getting closer, Kamilah stops moving backward and thrusts, trying to get Amy to move. Amy does something unexpected. She steps right, half spins, raises one sword and brings it down atop one if Kamilah’s swords, wringing it from her hand. The short sword in Amy’s left hand raises up to block a swing from Kamilah’s second sword. Snarling in fury and baring her fangs, Amy pushes forward, Kamilah stumbles back, while Amy spins, bringing both swords swinging around. Kamilah barely gets her sword up to block in time. Amy snarls again, spinning back to attack from the other side when a sharp voice finally penetrates her mind “Amy. STOP.”

Hearing that voice, the alarm in it, something she has never heard from Kamilah brings her back to herself and finds herself with one of her wooden swords pressed against Kamilahs chest. With a gasp, Amy drops her sword and her face twists in fear, and remorse. Tears fill her eyes at what she almost did, then Amy drops to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself, crying out “What have I become?”

Kamilah looks down at Amy in surprise. First she was shocked at the speed of Amy when she attacked, then the level of anger in her face and now at the remorse evident. Moved to tears herself, Kamilah sinks to the floor, wrapping her arms around the weeping woman. 

Feeling arms wrapping around her, Amy turns and sees the brown eyes of Kamilah and their concern. Closing her eyes in despair, she clings to Kamilah, weeping. Amy is comforted by Kamilah and slowly the storm of weeping slows and finally she is able to glance at Kamilah, but her voice is full of worry “I am scared Kamilah. Scared of what I am becoming. Scared of hurting those I love, you, my parents, Adrian, Lilly. Right now I am even scared to see my Mom and Dad.”  
“We all have anger within us.”  
“No Kamilah it's more than that. I completely lost control and darkness and hatred rose within me. I felt it. And what if the bloodkeeper line is linked to Rheya. If my blood is the same as hers, I could become her. She was a priestess before becoming a Vampire and she was beyond dark.”  
“Listen to me Amy” Kamilah places a hand on either side of Amy’s face “we are what we choose. Every single person is capable of darkness, mortals and vampires alike. It is in all of us and what is important is what we choose. When we are newly turned our instinct makes the darkness stronger and we can lose control, but you do not have to be dark.”  
“No Kamilah” Amy shook her head, “that's not it at all. I fear the darkness within me. I feel it every minute. I feel it pushing upward and I worry I will give in to it.”  
“You of all of us are not dark Amy. You never were.”  
“But Rheya….”  
“But nothing” Kamilah stopped Amy with a kiss, then spoke in an intense whisper “listen to me. Rheya chose to be dark.”  
“No Kamilah. Rheya was a priestess and was seduced by the power and the darkness. What if the same happens to me? If my blood is linked to hers I could be as powerful and as easily seduced by it.”  
“Amy that does not need to happen. I have lived more than 2000 years and in that time I have seen people become dark when becoming a vampire, and I have seen people become good. It is always what we choose to be. Believe me Amy.”  
“But I lost control by feeling just a little pain.”  
“You need food my love”  
“But…”  
“No. No more buts” Kamilah leaned back a little, frowning “you never used to be this argumentative when you were mortal.”  
Amy chuckles at that. Kamilah’s words were actually making her feel better. She had been around a long time and had seen so very much more, surely she could be believed. And the older vampire was right, Amy had not been so argumentative just a few weeks ago. She smiled tremulously, chuckling “I was in awe of you”, then Amy caresses the beautiful face right in front of her, as it hovers so very close “I still am” her voice drops to a husky whisper, she lowers her eyes slightly “I hear and obey my love.”  
“Good Girl” Kamilah purrs “in that case I will send for a snack and then we are going to take a shower.”  
Amy raised her eyebrow quizzically and Kamilah smiled gently “I am not going to pleasure you until you are clean.”

Kamilah sends for one of her employees and while they wait she turns to Amy saying “You will feel better when you feed” she smiles “and I will show you how to make it painless.”  
“So there is a knack to it.”  
“Oh my yes my love” Kamilah lovingly strokes Amy’s cheek “It's all in the approach and making it like foreplay.”  
Amy raises both eyebrows at that “You want me to have foreplay with someone else?”  
“We are vampires Amy. We can potentially live forever. Monogamy takes on new meaning in that light. Besides you are not cheating or anything, it's about appreciating the person feeding you. If you make it good for them, then it's even better for you.”

A few minutes later, the door to the gym opens and in steps a pretty blonde in a crisp blue suit. Her hair falls just past her shoulders and in a sweet voice “Miss Sayeed, how can I help you?”  
“My Amy needs to feed. Will you?”  
With barely a blink the blonde answers “Of Course”  
Hunger rising within Amy, she steps forward, her eyes turning red, fangs extending. Kamilah steps up beside her, whispering in her ear “Slowly my love, go very slowly. Take a good look, appreciate her, make her feel good.”

Amy moves closer, reaching out to the blonde, gently touching her hips pulling her closer. The blonde tilts her head, moving her hair and smiling invitingly. Remembering how Kamilah did it, Amy leans in slowly, kissing the woman's neck, licking after the kiss. She follows the kiss with another, sucking gently while her hands move over the girl's body. The blonde woman gasps, and Amy hears the heart beat increase, and can feel the woman shiver. Opening her mouth wider, she licks, kisses and ever so gently sinks her fangs into the woman's neck. Blood flows, and electric tingle moves through her body and the woman she holds gasps in pleasure.

Kamilah licks her lips, stepping up behind Amy her hands wandering over the lovers breasts, down inside her tight pants and she kisses the gorgeous neck of the woman she has given her heart to. Feeling the blood and the strength flow into her Amy bares down and drinks more, the electric tingle and pleasure flowing through her with the blood, and from Kamilahs hand between her legs. Then she feels Kamilah moving take her hand and place it gently between the legs of the blonde she is feeding from. The blonde gasps louder.

Kamilah moves to the other side of the blonde, and slowly kisses her neck, and within a second her fangs sink in. One of Amy’s hands rub the blonde, the other snaking out to touch Kamilah and Kamilah returns the favour, all three women feeling the pleasure of the exchange. The blonde woman cries out in pleasure and slowly Kamilah and Amy pull back, satiated from hunger at any rate.

Eyes still glowing with lust and pleasure Kamilah dismisses the woman “Take a break Lisa. You will need to make sure you eat and drink plenty. Thank you.”  
“Thank you Miss Sayeed”  
When the blonde leaves, Kamilah turns to Amy who is flushed with her feeding and the feelings she experienced. Fangs still extended, eyes aglo, she looks beyond beautiful. Kamilah reaches out, gently but firmly takes the woman's chin to look directly in her eyes “Now my love go upstairs and prepare for me.”  
“Yes Miss Sayeed” Amy smirks  
“Good girl Amy. I will be right behind you.” 

To be continued


	3. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visitors come to town and Amy has to introduce them to her friends and Kamilah

The hot water from the shower rains down upon Amy. She lets her head fall back, running her hands over her wet hair. The water runs over her impossibly smooth skin. Even showering as a Vampire is so much more amazing than it was as a human. The closest comparison she can think of is after you have shaved your legs for the first time in a couple of weeks, but even that comes nowhere near close to how smooth her skin now feels.

She enjoys the hot water, steam is filling the bathroom while she waits for Kamilah to join her. As ordered Amy had come straight here from the gym. Worry still hovered at the edges of Amy’s mind, despite what Kamillah had said. Feeding had made her feel more in control, as well just feeling so very good. Did it make up for not being able to feed Kamilah, Amy didnt know, but she had to admit sharing the feeding experience with Kamilah was amazingly erotic.

The steam shifted, Amy sensed it, and without turning she knew Kamilah was there. She felt her strength, her power, her allure and the scent that was just so Kamilah. The scent of lavender, dew and midnight, if one could bottle midnight dew, then it would smell like Kamilah. Breathing deeply to inhale that scent, Amy relaxed as the glass door opened and her naked lover stepped into the hot shower.

Kamilah stepped up close behind Amy, wrapping her arms around the woman's beautiful body, leaning her head to the side, her hungry lips searching for and finding Amy’s neck and leaving a trail of soft, warm kisses.

Relaxing into the embrace, Amy tilted her head to the right, allowing Kamilah greater access. Her hands moved to grasp hold of Kamilahs, pulling her arms more tightly around her as she pressed back up against the naked 2000 year old vampire. Amy luxuriated in the feeling of the naked woman's body pressing against her back, her hard nipples tickling her sensitive skin.

Amy hummed as Kamilahs gentle hands moved up her body, softly stroking her abdomen, moving slowly up to cup her breasts, all the while her soft lips kissing around her neck. Turning her head, Amy reached out to tangle her hand in Kamilah’s hair and pulled her in for a heated kiss, their lips moving together, Kamilah’s tongue snaking out into Amy’s mouth. Kamilah’s fangs extended slightly nipping at Amy’s lower lip and then her tongue traced along soothing the nip.

Time stalled while they kissed and Kamilah caressed Amy’s breasts, playfully tweaking her nipples and moving off to continue stroking and touching her all over. Both of them gasped as they pulled apart, then Kamilah placed her hands at Amy’s hips and spun the woman around, pushing her back up against the wall of the shower. Stepping forward, Kamilah grasped Amy with passion, her lips hungrily seeking those of Amy, while Kamilah’s leg, moved Amy’s apart, her thigh gently rubbing against Amy.

Amy’s hands wandered over Kamilahs smooth skin, relishing the feel of the soft, wet skin of the Vampire. Kamilah’s skin had felt amazing to Amy even before she had been turned, now that she was a Vampire, it was out of this world smooth. Kamilah’s lips pressed against Amy’s in a hot, passionate, hungry kiss, their tongues dancing together. Amy was gasping for breath when they finally parted, kissing Kamilah was even hotter now they were both Vampires.

Kamilah reversed their positions, and she leant against the wall of the shower, while applying pressure to Amy’s shoulders. Taking the cue, Amy slowly started kneeling and a smile spread over her face when she felt Kamilah push her head in between her legs. Usually when Kamilah was in control she was a giver, but Amy’s mouth watered at the thought of being able to give Kamilah pleasure. With the pressure on the back of her head, Amy moved closer and closer, kissing the inside of one thigh, then the other, and with a slight growl, Kamilah applied a bit more pressure, and Amy took a first lick at her lover. Oh Kamilah tasted so good and without any more prompting she moved forward sliding her tongue deeper inside Kamilah, while the older Vampire held her head there and gasped at the feelings Amy was giving her.

Later after drying and dressing Kamilah and Amy sat lounged on the sofa in the apartment “So Amy, when do you want your parents to come?”  
“Weeeelllll” Amy scratched her face a bit “I may have already called them and all and they might be getting here tonight.”  
“Tonight!!!” then Kamilah regained her composure “well nothing to do but get ready for it then.”  
“Aww, it won’t be that bad. They will be tired. I was thinking that I would bring them by work, introduce them to everyone” she glanced pointedly at Kamilah “it would be good if you could take a quick break and be there too.” Kamilah nodded “and after the obligatory embarrassing moments, I will take them to a hotel.”  
“Which hotel”  
Amy smiled disarmingly, caressing Kamilah’s hand “Well, I was sort of hoping my powerful, beautiful, sexy girlfriend would be able to get one sorted.”  
Kamilah rolled her eyes the way Amy always loved, but she also laughed gently “Very well Amy. I will get a hotel room sorted and text you the details.”  
“Yay. Thank you love.”  
“Anything for you Amy.”

Three hours later Amy was in the parking garage of Kamilah’s building, walking up to her car, a gift from Kamilah. How the woman had found it so quickly was unknown. It was something mentioned in passing once several months ago, and now here was her S type Jag. Not only had Kamilah found it within a couple of weeks, but she had managed to find one that had only 15000 miles on it, amazing for a 2008 car. But Amy would not have cared anyway, she just loved the classic car. Probably Kamilah could have gifted her any kind of expensive car, but this one meant so much more than anything else Kamilah could have done.

Pulling out into the busy road, Amy sighed. She loved driving, but doing that in New York was a challenge. No matter the time of day or night, the streets were always packed. Amy reflected upon the changes in her life, as she drove. So much had changed since she had come to New York. From getting that first job with Adrian, to travelling all over the world in search of the only item that could kill Gauis and now to her new life as a Vampire. Who could have ever dreamed any of this would or could happen when she first moved in with Lilly. And now she was an immortal being in love with a beautiful immortal woman who had seen more history than almost any other living person. Amy wondered with the rest of life would be like. Would her and Kamilah still be together in a couple of thousand years. She shrugged, who could tell that. It was such a long, improbable time. Right now it was just important to live and experience life, and right now that life was with Kamilah and so that was why she wanted her parents to meet the woman she loved. They would not be around forever, but while they were, Amy wanted them in her life.

Now Amy paced nervously just outside security at LaGuardia, wondering what her parents would say upon first seeing her. It had been a while. They had not wanted her to come here, and had been reluctant to visit, especially after the recent troubles. They had wanted Amy to visit them at home, but given that she could no longer go out during the day, Amy figured it was best to have them come here, so she could control all the activities. Her current state was something she was not ready to share, and perhaps never would be.

“Amy!!!!” and heads turned as the small woman shouted across the airport. Amy winced. Her mother was not known for her quiet voice. But it was still amazing to see her and she couldn’t keep a smile from spreading her lips. The small woman rushed forward, her still mostly black hair, streaming out behind her as she almost ran across the terminal building. 

Caught up in her exuberance, Amy did grunt when her Mom threw her arms around her. For a small woman she was strong. The hug was long and tight and actually felt really good. Amy had, had so much on her mind recently she had forgotten how good it felt to be with her Mom. Finally letting go, Amy turned to the brown haired man, just now approaching. He held in his exuberance, but Amy saw the sparkle in his green eyes. Not much taller than her Mom, he topped out at about 5’4”, just a little shigh of Amy’s 5’6”. Without waiting, Amy threw her arms around him and hugged her Dad. It had been atleast a year since she had seen them, and so many changes had occurred.

Relishing just being in their presence, it was a good few minutes before Amy let go, only to be confronted by her outspoken Mom “So where is this woman you have met?” Amy rolled her eyes. Kamilah would have been proud. But she still smiled “I am going to introduce you to her and my friends at the same time.”  
“Is that right?”  
“Yes Mom. It is. I have a really good life here now.”  
“Mmmmhmmm”  
“What's that supposed to mean Mom?”  
“You have not been able to get your own place in this city at all. You move in with a stranger, then the place gets evacuated and then you move in with another stranger.”  
Amy sighed “I moved in with Lilly cause it was necessary. Turns out she quickly became my best friend. And now I have a really meaningful career and I have moved in with Kamilah because I love her. It is not because I cannot live on my own, it is because I want to be with her.” Amy held up her hand before her Mom said anything else “We can talk about it later, and in a less public place.”

“Fancy car. A gift?”  
Amy sighed again. It was going to be one of those visits. Again rolling her eyes, she still maintained her smile “Yes it was actually. Kamilah got it for me. It is just a small gift Mom, and its not like I cannot afford things for myself. Kamilah and I just give each other things. You know, cause we love each other.” Ignoring the sigh, Amy pulled away and started driving away from the airport.

She drove towards downtown. Even though work had begun, the damage caused by Gaius was still easy to see.   
“I don’t know why you would want to keep living here?”  
“Its ok Mom. We got through it and both Adrian and Kamilah are taking the lead in rebuilding. It was raines corp that found the cure. What I do is important Mom and I am good at it. I and my friends are doing this to help the people recover.” The rest of the drive was silent.

Pulling into the parking Garage, Amy found her usual spot, and minutes later had her parents in the executive elevator heading up to the 75th floor. Soft music played and Amy gazed at the doors wondering how long the uncomfortable silence would last.

With a ding the doors opened and Amy led the way out. Stopping at her desk, she said “How about you wait here a moment and I will make sure everyone is here.” Both her parents nodded and Amy stepped into the conference room. She frowned seeing one person missing, then her brows knit together when she took in Jax “Really Jax! A Sword?”  
“I feel safer with it.”  
“How do you expect me to explain that. Oh by the way Mom Dad, this is Jax. He carries a sword cause we just survived the Vampire apocalypse” Amy stared at him until he finally sighed “Ok, Amy. You win”  
“Adrian stepped forward, his dark skin glowing in the luminescent lights. Holding out his hand with a smile “Here, I can put it in a safe place” Jax surrendered it and Amy, Jax and Lilly watched as Adriane moved a portion of the wall and stashed the sword in an alcove. Clearing her throat Amy said “So Kamilah?”  
“On her way” answered Adriane  
“Oh well, nothing for it.”

Amy opened the conference room doors and ushered her parents in “So Mom, Dad. These are my friends and my boss. She stopped at the tall, dark Adrian and said. Here is Adrian. Adrian my Mom and Dad.”  
He nodded, reaching out to shake their hands “A pleasure to meet you both. Amy is an amazing employee and I can only thank you for that.”   
“We didn't raise her to be a slacker” her Mom spoke up, while Dad merely nodded and smiled his thanks at the praise. Then Amy introduced Jax. “This is Jax, he has been alot of help in getting the homeless taken care of during the most recent trouble” Jax raised his eyebrows, but nodded “I do what I can. Amy is always around to lend a helping hand though. She is a treasure.”  
“And finally here is Lilly. The best friend a girl can have.”  
“Awww bestie” Lilly gushed “You are the best.”

After meeting the three, her Mom turned to her “So where is the other one.”   
With a raised eyebrow “Kamilah is on her way. She was held up in an important meeting” and with a ding the elevator opened and Kamilah stepped out “I am very sorry that I am late” Seeing her, Amy forgot all her worry. She stood still while Kamilah walked over to her, then Amy slipped her arms around the woman's waist, leaned up and kissed her lovingly on the lips. “Mmmmm. Its ok love” smiled Amy “I forgive you.” For a moment the two were lost in each others company.

The sound of someone clearing their throat drew their attention, and without any sign of embarrassment, Amy turned to her Mother “Well Mom. This Kamilah. The woman I love.” Kamilah stepped forward, and offered her hand. Mom hesitated a long second, taking her time to size up Kamilah, then finally grunted and extended her hand “Nice to meet you Kamilah. I trust you are looking after my daughter.”  
“Mom….”  
“I most certainly am” Kamilah said smoothly “Amy is very important to me. I will not let anything happen to her. But she is more than capable of looking after herself and me. Actually Amy has brought so much into my life, I would say that she has looked after me more in the past.”

Adrian ordered refreshments brought in and then spent the next 15 minutes or so charming Amy’s parents. Amy pulled Kamilah apart “Is everything ok?”  
“What. Oh yes. I am sorry I was late. I tried to get here on time. A very rich client needed my attention and would not stop talking.”  
Amy caressed the beautiful face before her “Its ok, I know you are busy. I am just glad you got here and wanted to make sure all was ok.”  
“It is fine Amy. I promise.”  
Looking up into the brown eyes, Amy once again got lost in their depths. She had ever seen such deep, brown eyes and still became lost in their depths every time she looked at them. Smiling slightly, Kamilah lowered her face a bit, their lips met and quickly the kiss was moving from loving to passionate. After a long moment Amy moved back, gasping for breath, “You still get me going every time love.”  
“Good” Kamilah caressed Amy’s cheek, smiling at the younger Vampire. “I will have to make sure I never lose my touch. But perhaps we should spend time with your parents, so they do not think of me as a bad influence.”

For another half hour the group spoke with Amy’s parents asking about the rebuild of New York and Kamilah and Adrian doing their part to be interested in Amy’s parents. It was actually quite pleasant for all, until Amy stood up “Well I know that both Adrian and Kamilah have alot to get done. Why don’t I show you to your hotel. We can catch up some more. Tomorrow night we can all get together for dinner.”  
“You work all night?” Amy’s Dad asked Adrian  
“I find I get alot more accomplished at night, when most people are otherwise occupied”  
“Same” nodded Kamilah “The day is full of distraction and many people with many needs, but the night is far better for real work. It was wonderful to meet you both and I look forward to getting to know you more. Dinner is at my apartment tomorrow night.”  
“I’m cooking” spoke up Amy “it has been a while since Kamilah cooked anything, so its better I do it.” Kamilah rolled her eyes, but put her arm fondly around Amy’s shoulders “Yes, you are probably right. I think that Amy will be picking you up, yes?”  
“For sure. I will pick them up and bring them to our place” at the “our” one of Amy’s Mom's eyebrows shot up, but nothing else was said.

As they turned to leave, Kamilah pulled Amy back in for a long, slow, loving kiss. “I will see you later yes?”  
“Yes, if you are not too busy.”  
“Never too busy for you. Oh and I texted the details of the hotel reservation to you.”  
“Thank you love. You’re the best”  
“I know love. You too.”

Driving, Amy followed the directions to the GPS coordinates supplied by Kamilah and her eyes narrowed when she pulled up outisde the Beekman. Amy shook her head, wondering what would be next. A valet came over, opened the door for Amy and her parents, gave her a slip and took the car. Taking her parents inside the historic hotel, Amy was stunned by the opulence inside the foyer. Her gaze took in the rich wood paneling, the mosaic marble threshold and again she shook her head. Trust Kamilah to go all out. Walking up the desk, a young, pretty woman looked up “May I help you.”  
“Yes, I believe there is a reservation for my parents. It was called in by Kamilah Sayeed.”  
The young girls eyebrows shot up, then nodded after tapping at the keyboard. “Ah yes, here it is. She tapped some more keys, then swiped two cards and said “You are all checked in.”Leaning forward she motioned over a young man in hotel uniform “This is Edward. He will show you to your suite. Enjoy your stay.” Amy wondered at the special treatment, wondering what was going on. Inside the elevator a moment or two later she found out why, when the elevator door opened at the top of one of the turrets of the hotel. Amy sighed. Kamilah had reserved one of the penthouses for her parents. Amy guessed that's what happened when you had amazing amounts of money and had not had to think about it for some time.

Led into the room, all three stopped in their tracks at the opulence, and the view. This room was incredible. Edward said a few things that neither Amy or her parents heard, and left them alone. Exploring the suite, Amy found the bar, and “Drink anyone?” Pouring three whiskey’s Amy stepped back into the main living area “Well this should certainly be comfortable for you.”  
“It's a bit much Amy” her Dad said “A simple hotel would have sufficed.”  
Wanting to smooth this over Amy shrugged “This hotel is closest to Kamilah’s place and it's one of the safest. The other hotels outside of Downtown were damaged in the recent troubles. Kamilah just wanted you to be safe, while you were staying here.”

A moment of silence passed, while Amy’s Mom looked out the window. Finally she turned “Tell Kamilah thank you my dear” then she sat down, took a sip of her drink, then reached out and grasped Amy’s hand “but tell me my dear. When are you going to find a good man and settle down?”  
“What? Seriously Mom?”  
“Oh Amy. Kamilah is a nice woman, but this is just a phase you are going through. When you first moved here you had to stay with Lilly and now Kamilah. Since women were kind to you, it's no wonder you want to be grateful to them and give them something in return.”  
“Mom. No. It's not that at all.”  
“Oh Amy, of course it is. You are young and think you know so much, but you will have to eventually move on from this phase.”

Amy stood up exasperation plain in her expression. She stood stiffly, staring at her Mom in disbelief. Even after all these years, her Mom was not ready to accept who she was.  
“It's only natural to go through such phases” her Mom continued “as you grow up you will realise that it's not natural and you will find a man to….”  
“Mom. STOP” Amy also shouted the word, using a tone she had never used with her mother before “this has gone on long enough Mother. It's about time you accept me.”  
“Accept what dear?”  
“Have you ever known me to have a boyfriend? Have you ever known me to show any interest in boys, or men? I had a girlfriend throughout college for crying out loud, and even in High School I was more interested in girls. Mom. It is time for you to accept the truth. I am a lesbian. I always have been. I love Kamilah and I am going to be with her for as long as we both love one another.”

Her mother shook her head in denial and Amy sighed, looking to her Dad who sat on the couch with a pained expression “Dad. You know the truth. Convince her.”  
“Amy” he said roughly “it's not that simple. Life is never that simple.”  
“In this case it is” she made a slashing movement with her hand, cutting him off “I am a lesbian. Accept it.”  
Her Dad sat silently, unable to look at her, while her Mom just shook her head in denial. Amy stepped up, taking her mother's hand “Mom. You have to accept this. Look. I love you and Dad and I want to have both of you in my life, but you have to love me for who I am. I am going to go, but I will call you in the morning. If you can move beyond this and want to have dinner with us tomorrow night I would love to spend time with you. And love for you to get to know Kamilah more. But you will have to deal with the fact that I love women. I will leave you alone for now Mom. I love you.”

Amy stood, turned and headed to the door. Opening it, she stopped “Please Mom, Dad. I need and want you in my life so much. This is something that has always been. Deep down you know it. Please accept me as I am.” Silence reigned, then Amy sighed deeply, “I will call you in the morning. Goodnight.”


	4. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy has dinner with her parents, Kamilah, Adrian, Lilly and Jax - just hoping all of them will get along

Stepping into the familiar penthouse apartment, Amy took a deep breath of the familiar scents she always found so comforting at Kamilah’s place. She had spent the last 2 hours driving around the city, just trying to clear her head. Her Mom’s refusal to accept the truth about her orientation stunned her. After all this time her Mother thought it was still a phase. Issuing her final statement about wanting them in her life, but only if they accepted her, had been difficult for Amy. She loved her parents. Family was very important to her, but it was also important that they accepted who she was.

“Amy” came a soft voice from the living area  
“Yes love. It’s me.”  
“I was wondering where you were. The hotel clerk said you left quite some time ago.”  
Amy was so thankful for Kamilah. She could hear the concern in her voice, but Kamilah had still trusted that Amy would be able to look after herself and that she had a reason for what she was doing. To feel such trust was heartwarming. Amy walked over the couch, gazing at the beautiful, brown haired woman lounging on the comfortable chair. Sitting down down to her, she took the woman's hand in her own “I just needed some time to sort out my thoughts.”  
“Your parents?”  
“They are at the hotel. Thanks for that by the way.”  
“Oh I knew they were there, I was asking if they said something to trouble you so.”  
With a deep sigh, Amy nodded. Then she felt a warm hand against her cheek. Slight pressure caused her to turn and her eyes fell on Kamilah’s beautiful face and amazing eyes. All she saw in those eyes was love, and concern and understanding “What happened my love?”  
“It’s complicated.”  
“With parents it always is, even I remember that.”  
Amy couldn’t help but smile at that. It was quite aways for Kamilah to recall difficulty with her parents. But it was difficult to speak about it. Kamilah put a finger under Amy’s chin, lifted her face to meet her gaze. She held that gaze for a long, long moment, and Amy lost herself again, feeling safe in the light of Kamilah’s eyes. Then Kamilah blinked and moved in to give a soft, lingering kiss to Amy’s lips. Pulling back just a bit she breathed “You do not have to tell me anything. But Amy, I want you to know that I am here for whatever troubles you. I am always here for you love.”  
“I know Kamilah.” Amy looked deeply into Kamilah’s eyes, then glanced down at the floor “It’s just my parents not accepting who I am.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“My Mom still thinks being with you is a phase. I tried to talk to her and pointed out all the history I have had with girls, but I just don’t know.”  
“I am sorry Amy” Kamilah caressed Amy’s face gently “I am so sorry my love,”  
“Thank you.”  
“What happened after you spoke?”  
“Mom wouldn’t listen, so I told her I was leaving and I would call her tomorrow and if she would accept me then I would still love them to come for dinner. But only if they accept me.”  
Kamilah smiled gently “Oh my Amy. That was so brave. Every day you do something to make me even more proud and even more in love with you. They will come around. I know it.”  
“I hope you are right.”  
“I know I am Amy” and she enfolded Amy in a warm embrace, holding her tightly “I love you so much, Amy. Come my love, let me help you feel better.” Amy leaned into the embrace wrapping her own arms around the gorgeous woman, breathing in her wonderful lavender scent that always reminded her of moonlight. Breathing deeply she relished the feeling of being held in those arms and Kamilahs loving voice came gently to her ears, air almost tickling them “Tell me what you need Amy. What will make you feel better.”  
“You Kamilah. Only you.”

Kamilah smiled lovingly, the smile moving up into her eyes. Once again Amy lost herself in those rich brown orbs. Never had she see such a brown eye filled with so much life. It was as if life itself flowed from them and now Amy saw love and felt that love directed her way. She could lose herself for all time in those brown depths. Mesmerized, Amy could only stare, as they moved closer and closer, and then eye lids dropped over them, cutting off the light from them, but then Amy felt the soft, eager, loving lips of Kamilah pressed against her own in a searing kiss.

This kiss moved from loving to passionate within seconds, and Kamilah pulled Amy closer, holding her tightly while her mouth opened and her tongue swept into Amy’s mouth, exploring every corner of it in Kamilah’s loving, dominating way. Oh how Amy loved to kiss Kamilah. The older vampire kissed with such passion, with eagerness, with dominance, knowing what she wanted and taking it, and Amy gave herself over to it. Kamilah’s tongue in her mouth felt like a promise that if Amy gave herself over to it, surrendered to her, then all pleasure would be given. And Amy surrendered, every single time.

Without breaking the kiss, Amy felt herself swept up in Kamilah’s strong arms and carried to the bed. For all her dominance and adventurous lifestyle, Kamilah was also traditional and much preferred to take pleasure into the bedroom. Eyes closed, her mouth trapped against Kamilah’s Amy felt air brush over her as Kamilah moved quickly, then she felt soft bedding beneath her. The mattress gave slightly and moved some more as Kamilah smoothly flowed atop her, once again, never breaking the kiss, Kamilah’s tongue never ceasing its dominant exploration of Amy’s mouth. Their lips locked together, Amy struggled for breath, but cared not, all she felt and longed for was Kamilah’s tongue deep in her mouth. Her only thought was to surrender to its probing, to give herself over to this beautiful woman and the experiences she shared.

Settled on the bed, Kamilah’s hands slowly started to explore Amy’s body, swiftly and smoothly removing her clothing, although how she could manage that without moving her body was beyond Amy, but at this point she was not complaining.

Within minutes she lay naked beneath Kamilah, while the older vampires hands roamed over her body. Her hands felt so smooth, so warm and Amy could only gasp, breathing in air from Kamilah, since their kiss had not stopped since it began. Amy’s hands began to wander over Kamilah, sliding under her white silk blouse, to move over the rise of her breasts. Unable to wait any longer, Amy tore the blouse apart. That broke the kiss. Kamilah pulled away, but couldn't stop smiling somewhat “Eager much? You owe me a new shirt.”  
“Fine. Whatever” Amy gasped, gulping in air, her heart racing and thudding against her chest. “Just get out of those clothes. I want you so much.”  
Kamilah smirked down at Amy, one eyebrow raised, and then she teasingly, with painstaking slowness, removed her clothes. Amy growled impatiently and lifted her hands to pull at the clothing, but Kamilah tutted, then in one smooth move, pulled Amy’s hands up and away, securing them with handcuffs. Pulling impatiently, Amy expected the cuffs to snap open, but her eyes widened when nothing happened. Kamilah smired wider “Oh Amy. You are mine now.”  
Without hesitation Amy surrendered “Yes Kamilah. I am yours.”

Hours later Amy lay curled up on her side, nestled against Kamilah. Both women covered in sweat, tried to still their breathing from their marathon of pleasure. Amy pulled at Kamilah’s hands, moving them more tightly around her as she snuggled back against the woman. Still Kamilah was warm, feeling like a purring engine and Amy luxuriated in that heat pressing against her back.

“Feel better?” Kamilah asked, her voice purring in satisfaction.  
“Always, when I am with you.”  
“It will all work itself out in the end Amy. I promised.”  
“I...I…”  
“What my love?” queried Kamilah “speak to me Amy. Let me in”  
Amy took a deep breath, then blurted “I just thought my Mom would accept me by now. Oh I know she loves me, but loving your child despite something and loving them completely seem to be mutually exclusive right now. I know that the natural order is for children to outlive parents, but with my life now, I will live so much longer than I thought and I want this part to be with them, as much as possible. But if they can’t accept me, then I don’t know how much I can keep them in my life.”  
“It takes time love. It always does. For some reason some parents cannot see past the difficulties that go with loving someone of the same sex. It is more worry for their child than anything else I think.”  
“Or perhaps embarrassment”  
“Maybe” Kamilah snuggled closer to Amy “but with your parents I do not think so. I think they will come around eventually.”  
“I hope so Kamilah. But a time will come when they will have to step up or step off, because” and she turned her head to look at the woman she loved, reaching up to caress that beautiful face “my life is with you, for as long as you will have me.”  
“And mine is with you Amy. I love you.” she leaned over and kissed Amy softly on the lips “now sleep my love. It will all look better in the morning.”  
“Or evening” Amy smiled a bit  
Kamilah snorted “Yes well evening is now our morning. So sleep.”

Darkness surrounds Amy, silence envelops her, but air shifts. She struggles to rise, but feels trapped, held down by the darkness. Air shifts again, carrying with it faint voices. She doesn’t recognize them, but it is the murmuring of voices chanting. Air shifts once more, light is visible ahead, then moves forward to surround her. Suddenly light is all around her. She is in a large chamber. At the far end is a dais. UPon that dais is a throne made of bone, and upon the throne is a beautiful woman with years, experience, wisdom and anger in her eyes. Rheya watches Amy, as Amy watches Rheya. Murmuring rises and falls, then Amy sees the group of men around Rheya, bowing to her, worshiping her. Then as one they turned to her as Rheya speaks “Come to me bloodkeeper. Come to me. Be one with me.” All eyes turn to Amy, all eyes red and fangs extended. The one closest to Rheya, a beard covering his face, blood running through the hair speaks harshly “Come to our Mistress or we will bring you. Rheya calls you Bloodkeeper. We are coming for you….”

Amy sits up, gasping, her heart racing, looking around wildly, fear tingling every nerve in her body “Ahhhhhh” she gasps aloud, her hand upon her heart. She tries to steady it, but can’t, then jumps as a soft hand lands on her shoulder. She settles when she realises it is Kamilah  
“Amy. What is wrong?”  
Taking a deep breath, then another, Amy slowly settles back into bed “A dream. That's all. Just a dream.”  
Kamilah was instantly attentive “Are you sure. You have been troubled with dreams before.”  
“Yes. Just a dream” and Amy wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince more.  
“Amy” Kamilah placed a hand at Amy’s chin, forcing her to look into her eyes “talk to me love. Do not shut me out. Please.”  
That one word galvanized Amy. It was rare that she heard Kamilah say please, so she slowly nodded, closing her eyes as if trying to gain strength. When she did speak, her voice was steady “In my dream it was dark, then I heard voices, and then when light returned I saw her.”  
“Who?”  
“Rheya”  
Kamilah remained silent, but a concerned light entered her eyes “continue”  
“She was surrounded by people worshipping her. She called to me as the Bloodkeeper, then all the faces turned to me.” Amy had to stop and take a deep breath, “they were all Vampires. Their obvious leader spoke then, telling me that Rheya was calling me and they were coming for me.”  
Kamilah tried to hide her concern, but Amy could hear it in her voice “How do you know it was Rheya.”  
“Bloodkeeper remember?” Amy said “I have seen Rheya in more than one memory of more than one Vampire. I know, just as I know who you were before Adrian. Remember when you tried to tell me in Greece that you had done things that would make me turn away from you, if I knew about them.” Kamilah nodded “and what was my response.”  
“You told me that you knew. I asked how and you said Bloodkeeper remember. And then you told me that you knew much of my previous life and that I was not who I was, but you loved who I am and who I was only made a part of me.”  
“Ok, well I wasn't expecting quite as much detail, but yes. The point I was going to make was that I know you, through your memories, because I can access the memories of any Vampire that came before, including that those that have seen Rheya, and including Rheya. I say this to let you know that I know what she looks like. And since I have access to her memories and as she is the first, with unknown powers, it is possible I am connecting to her now.”  
“No Amy. She is long gone. Your dreams might be getting mixed in with memories.”  
“Kamilah, you yourself have said that dreams can be portents, with a Bloodkeeper and my psychic ability, there is no telling what I can do now that I am a Vampire. What if…”  
“No!” Kamilahs voice was more adamant than Amy had ever heard it before “she is gone long ago. It is a dream.”

For the first time ever, Amy thought Kamilah was hiding from the truth. But she was afraid to admit the truth, afraid to face what that truth might bring. She clung to the falsehood provided by Kamilah and she chose to accept it. Nodding slowly “Ok Kamilah. I trust you are are right.” Amy lay back down, allowing Kamilah to comfort her, but in the back of her mind was the worry that her dream was not just a dream.

Still even with her worry, she managed to fall asleep again, and this time Amy slept free for troubling dreams. She slept long and hard, and when she finally opened her eyes, she looked up and saw Kamilah smiling down upon her. 

Kamilah was sitting up in bed, while Amy’s head rested in her lap. The older vampires hand was slowly moving through the youngers hair, in a relaxing, reassuring way. Amy could not help but smile  
“What?” Kamilah asked  
“Nothing. It is just nice to wake up to you this way and not have to dash off to something important..”  
Kamilah smiled widely “I know what you mean. It has been such a long time since I took a break and enjoyed simply being here, and being with someone. I didn't want to wake you, as I was enjoying looking at you.”  
“I don't mind being awoken, just as long as your face is the first one I get to see.”

The two women enjoyed the feeling of each others company for a while, Amy still resting her head on Kamilah’s lap, feeling the woman's fingers running through her hair. She stretched luxuriously, enjoying the lazy afternoon immensely. It was not often that she got to spend this much quality time with the woman she loved, and she was going to do her best to enjoy it as long as she could.

But as always, the real world had to interrupt and soon enough Amy’s phone started ringing. Recognizing the ring tone, Amy sat up, picked up her phone pressed answer “Hi Mom.”  
Kamilah swung her legs over, grabbed up a robe and moved out of the bedroom to give Amy some privacy. She walked into the living area, and all she could hear was the faint murmur of voices.

Minutes later, the murmure grew louder and then Amy, in her blue silk robe walked into the living room “Ok Mom. I can work with that. I will pick you and Dad up in 3 hours.” Hanging up, she glanced to Kamilah who smiled and said “Dinner is still on then?”  
“Yes Dinner is on. It was not the resounding acceptance I was hoping for…”  
“But you will accept it nonetheless.”  
“Yes, I guess I will. She said she would accept that I was with you and that I loved you and then told me that no matter what I choose, she would always love me.”  
“Well at least she loves you. Many go through life with their parents unable to accept or love them.”  
“True enough, and I will take what I can get, It is a beginning.”  
“Yes it is” Kamilah nodded, taking a sip of coffee. Amy raised her head and sniffed the air “Is that tea, I am smelling”  
Kamilah smiled enigmatically, then nodded “Ofcourse.”  
Amy moved over to pour herself a steaming cup of tea. Ah it was so good to be with someone who thought of her desires, then Kamilah interrupted her thoughts “So what is for our breakfast, and your parents dinner.” Amy laughed aloud at that “Well I am assuming that it's not who, but perhaps we should have some food before hand. But for dinner, dinner, I was thinking of making my famous spaghetti Carbonara.”  
“Famous?”  
“Oh its amazing Kamilah. It's creamy and full of bacon and lots of unhealthy stuff. You will love it.” Amy smiled brightly, and Kamilah could not help herself, smiling in return. She enjoyed seeing her love so cheery.

A few hours later, Amy led her parents into Kamilah’s apartment “Honey. I’m home” she called out. Kamilah stepped out from the living room, clothed in a new, sleek, body forming silk red dress. Amy stopped in her tracks, her eyes bulging. Kamilah smiled cheekily “You like”  
“Oh My God Kamilah. You are beautiful” Amy walked up to Kamilah, her arm snaking around the woman's neck, kissing her deeply. Pulling away, she breathed “Better than beautiful, you are hot, amazing, sexy, and just wow.”  
“I will chalk this dress up to a success then” Kamilah grinned.

Kamilah smiled at Amy’s parents. She stood with an arm around Amy’s waist “Welcome to our home.”  
“You mean your home?”  
“Mom!!!! That's enough…”  
“Its ok Amy” Kamilah turned to Amy’s Mom “I mean our home. This is as much Amy’s home as mine.”  
“I am sure you paid for it all.”  
“Perhaps, but does that really matter. I love your daughter and want her to be happy, shouldn't that be all that matters?”  
“Sometimes people don’t know what will make them happy.”  
“True enough” Kamilah nodded “but I have found Amy to be very mature, wise and a person who knows herself very well.”  
“Ok, ok. That's enough” Amy’s Dad stepped forward, he looked at his wife “we don’t have to give Kamilah the third degree you know. Amy has chosen her and that's all that should matter.”  
“Thank you Dad”

There came a knock at the door and it was with a sigh of relief that Amy turned to answer it. Seeing Adrian, Lilly and Jax, she smiled “Thank God. Come in please.” Adrians eyebrow shot up at that, and Lilly grinned “Having a rough time with the parents and the girlfriend.”  
“You could say that. I could really use your help in keeping things light.”

Once everyone was inside, Amy played host, offering wine to everyone. Once all the glasses were filled, she stood beside Kamilah and looked to her parents “I want to thank you for coming tonight. You are important to me, just as Kamilah is. We don't have to always agree, or always get along, but I want to have you all in my life.”  
“You are my daughter Amy. I will always be here for you.”  
“Thank you Mom. And now, if everyone will play nice, I can go make dinner.”  
“Ofcourse we will” Kamilah assured Amy with a smile.

While Amy got to work in the luxuriously equipped kitchen, her parents, friends and Kamilah sat talking. The atmosphere did seem a bit tense, but Amy did her best to ignore it, humming to herself as she prepared dinner.

“Oooh Amy” her Mom's voice drifted from the dining area “is that Carbonara I am smelling.”  
“Yes Mom”  
“You are making Garlic bread too, I hope”  
“Ofcourse” she flashed a smile over. And even from this distance she saw Adrians grimace and her smile widened “Don’t worry Adrian. I am not forgetting. I am also making regular cheesy toast for those that don’t like garlic” and she threw him a wink.

About a half hour later, Amy brought over a large bowl of pasta, a platter of garlic cheese bread and another plate of just regular cheese bread. Kamilah had just finished laying out the dinner plates for all, and refilling wine glasses. Passing to her parents, Amy let them dish up first. When everyone had their share, Amy grabbed a slice of garlic bread, while Adrian, Kamilah, Jax and Lily went for regular bread.  
“I have never met people that don’t like garlic bread” Amy’s Mom was surprised at them all. Amy shrugged, “I guess each to their own” and she took a bite. As soon as it touched her tongue, she was overcome with the flavour and how disgusting it was. Wow, that was something new, she had always loved garlic before, but now her tastebuds seemed to have changed. Grimacing she managed to swallow, then made a sour face “Ok, that's not so good.”  
“Really” Amy’s Mom raised her eyebrows “it tastes wonderful. When did you start not liking it.”  
“I guess its a fairly new development” shrugged Amy “Oh well, plenty of other things to eat.”  
“Indeed” her Dad agreed, “and Amy this food is delicious.”

With good food and wine, everyone started to relax just a bit and soon the apartment was filled with talk. Kamilah was even talking to Amy’s Mom in a very congenial fashion. Amy sat back and smiled, relieved that everything was finally going smoothly.

Everyone jumped as the main door to the apartment blew in, ten shadowy figures running in after the scraps of wood. Kamilah, Adrian and Jax acted immediately, moving into defensive positions. Amy and LIlly, a bit slower, but just behind them. Moving carefully Amy edged over to Kamilah, just as one figure stepped from the group. He was bearded and Amy gasped, recognizing him. He stared right at her, and in a chilling whisper “Bloodkeeper. Rheya calls you.”

Without anything else being said the group ran forward, fangs extended, eyes glowing red. Kamilah flexed her hands and daggers appeared. She took up a fighting stance, one arm extended, and waited for a second.

Amy hesitated a long second, confused and amazed that this bearded man was the one from her dream. But seeing the other vampires, her instincts flared, flexing her hands, like Kamilah, daggers dropped into her grips and she stepped up, mirroring Kamilah’s stance. Glancing at her Kamilah nodded in approval “Ready my love.”  
“Yes Love” Amy grinned  
“Well let's get them then.”

Kamilah led the charge, Amy a heartbeat behind her, bearing down upon the bearded leader. She stopped short, spun, her foot flying up. He ducked under it, and Amy followed with her dagger as he was just standing. But he was fast, and his right fist lashed out catching her in her chest. Amy heard something crack as the fist connected and her feet left the ground and she flew back to collide with a wall.  
“Amy” Kamilah called concerned  
Shaking her head, Amy climbed to her feet “I am ok, but they are strong and fast. More so than they should be.”

Kamilah was facing off against one with a sword, while Adrian ducked and weaved, evading punches from an unarmed vampire. With deft moves, Kamilah blocked the sword swing, her foot leap up, between the vampires legs, he doubled over and she pulled both daggers through his neck, turning him to ash “Fast and strong yes, but inexperienced”

Steadying herself, Amy switched the grip on her knives to a backward grip and ran at the bearded vampire. Just before she reached, she dropped and slid along the ground, through his legs, slicing out with her knives, cutting deep into both legs. The bearded vampire snarled, as Amy leapt to her feet, spun around, her right foot sweeping his legs out from under him. As he fell, she lunged, her knife aiming for his heart. Just before the point dug in, someone drove into her from her left, knocking her away.

“Damn it to hell” she snapped, rolling over, lashing out and feeling her foot connect with a person. Jumping up, she saw another of the vampires struggling to his feet. She was about to lunge, but hesitated again as she recognized this one too. Glancing around at the group fighting her friends Amy realised that every one of them had been in her dream. Every one of these vampires had been worshipping Rheya. Could that be how they were so strong and fast.

A sharp pain in her stomach brought her back. Looking down she saw a knife embedded there “Oh not again you fucker” she snarled and heard Kamilah cry her name. She threw a glance trying to reassure Kamilah, just as she pulled herself away, the hand holding the knife her stomach moved, pulling the knife from her and she cried out in pain. 

Gasping, she felt pain and darkness flow over her. Red haze covered her vision, tinged with white at the edges. Three of the invading vampires converged upon her, the bearded one leading them “Yes Bloodkeeper. Let the darkness take you. Rheya calls upon you.” Fear, pain, anger, it all flowed through Amy. She felt like she was losing herself, as power swarmed up from deep within.  
“No” she whispered to herself but no one could hear it, as the white tinge at her vision grew brighter. The dark power grew too strong, too powerful, too much and Amy lost herself in the swirling vortex of darkness. She heard a scream of rage escape her mouth and felt her body moving.

When Amy next had any realisation she felt her body standing still, panting with exertion. She looked through white tinged red vision, as if seeing things through another's vision. She was surrounded by piles of ash. A small group of 4 stood a few feet away from her. They had power, but were mere shadows compared to her. And behind them were two more even lesser, almost animal like in their energy.

Amy feels herself move. It is distant, like she no longer has control over her own body. Another force is doing all the moving. Her attention is drawn to the animal like creatures behind the group of four. Hunger rises, bloodlust with it and Amy moves. But something else moves almost as fast. One of the four stands before her, a hand on her shoulder. This one is almost familiar. She is beautiful, strong and powerful, much more so than the other three. This one has the wisdom of ages in her gaze and strength to almost match Amy right now. That strength is enticing, but the being blocks her path to the source of her hunger. Amy feels herself snarl and pull away, but the beautiful ones grip tightens, holding her. The deep, beautiful brown eyes gaze at Amy, filled with some kind of emotion, and the darkness that controls Amy recoils from that feeling, but to Amy it feels like a lifeline, as the beautiful woman speaks.

“Amy” Kamilah’s heart was in her eyes and her voice throbbed with love “stop. It is over. Come back to me.”  
Amy felt her heart wrench, the darkness in control did too, but it didn't understand. Amy tried to answer, to cry out, to tell Kamilah she was here and that she loved her, but when her mouth opened a strange voice came forth “Who are you to block my path? Who are you to stop me? Who are you to talk to me such?” the voice asked in a tone of contempt, a voice steeped in age and power “You have strength, but not enough to match me. You are beautiful and strong, you will make a good servant. I may just keep you alive to serve me. But tell me. Who are you to get in my way?”  
“I am your love” Kamilah answered calmly, but her eyes filled with water “I love you Amy. I am your Queen, as you are mine.”

The power controlling Amy hesitated, testing the feelings this body seemed to have at the sound of this woman's voice, and the memories of the true Amy were surfacing. From deep within Amy cried out, trying to exert every ounce of influence, trying to regain control. The voice and sight of Kamilah was like a lifeline and she latched on to it, drawing strength from her love. But still the power had too much control “You will not interfere with my will” it spoke through Amy’s mouth to Kamilah “you are stronger and older than the others. You will make a fitting consort, but you will not prevent me from sating my hunger.”

Kamilah neither flinched, or blinked, she continued staring at Amy, gazing deeply and lovingly into those eyes “Amy. I know you are in there. You have to come back to me. I cannot lose you again my love. You die, I will die, and I am not ready to go yet. Come back to me” and without warning, Kamilah took Amy’s body in a warm embrace, moved in and kissed her deeply, lovingly. The power within Amy flinched from that touch, from that love, while Amy used that distraction and the strength of Kamilah’s love to surge upwards. Swifter than flight Amy surged up from deep within, and found herself once more in control. Almost automatically her arms wrapped around Kamilah and she drew the vampire in, kissing her deeper, more passionately and lovingly than ever before.

Someone clearing their throat brought both women back to the present. Amy smiled shyly, self consciously. She looked at her friends, who stood nervously behind Kamilah and tried to put some reassurance into her smile “I am ok now” she glanced to Kamilah, reached up and caressed her cheek “Thanks to you my love.”  
“I knew you were in there”  
“Yes I was, deep inside” Amy took on a worried look “the darkness within me is real, it is strong and I am not sure I can control it for long.”  
“What happened to you?”  
“I am not sure Lilly” Amy answered her “I noticed it almost immediately upon my emergence. There is a dark power within me. I think it might be related to the bloodkeeper thing.”  
“There is no way to be sure” interrupted Kamilah  
“I know love” Amy sighed “but it's the only thing I can think of. There is a power within me, it is hard to control.” She glanced to Adrian “you of all people will understand that.”  
“Yes when I took the serum.”  
Amy nodded “Yes. It has to be something to do with purer bloodlines, although that's a guess.”  
“We can run some tests” he smiled reassuringly “we will figure it out  
Amy nodded again, and then Lilly spoke up again “Ok, I just have to say. Was this not totally weird. They came bustin in here, stronger than almost any vampire, and they knew you Amy.”  
“As I recognized them”  
“How”  
Amy glanced at her friends one at a time, before slowly answering “They were in my dream. At first I just recognized the bearded leader, but when I saw the rest, I knew those were from my dream too.”  
“What dream?” Jax asked her  
“A recurring dream I have had. Mostly it's about Rheya. But now in my dream she is surrounded by vampires, worshipping her. They look at me and call to me, saying that Rheya calls the Bloodkeeper.”  
“Well that's not weird at all.”  
“I know what you mean Lilly. I am worried about it. My dreams have been weirdly linked to vampires before, but this is the first vampire we are talking about. And it might explain why these guys were so strong.”  
“You think that explains any of this?”  
“Doesn't it Lilly?” Amy questioned gazing intently at her friend.

Lilly took her time to think about it, while Adrian and Kamilah looked even more concerned. Finally Lilly gasped “You think Rheya made those vampires.”  
“Yes. And if she made them, then that makes them purer than any of us, which is why they were so strong, and yet inexperienced.”  
“That is a disturbing thought” Kamilah put an arm around Amy pulling her close “We will have to consider it and look into it.”

Before anyone could say anything else a gasp from within the apartment drew all of their attention and finally Amy remembered her parents. Looking past Kamilah she saw her Dad still sitting at the table, a dumbfounded look upon his face, while her Mom stood staring at her in disbelief. Amy cringed, realizing her fangs were still extended. With concentration they withdrew back up, and the red faded from her eyes. Smiling sheepishly she said “Yeah. Mom, Dad. Along with being a lesbian, I am also a Vampire.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aftermath of Amy's dinner with her parents and the attack by rogue vampires

Amy’s Mom stared at her dumbfounded after Amy declared she was also a vampire. Her mouth opened, closed, opened again, but no sound came out, then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she keeled over. Quicker than wind, Amy was by her side, catching her before she hit the floor “Damn it” she cursed “I didn't want this to come out this way.”

Looking up Amy saw her Dad, still standing, but looking like he was about ready to join his wife on the floor. Amy slowly took his hand, drawing his attention. He looked down at her and she smiled tremulously “You ok Dad?”  
“I...I..” he shook his head  
“I know. I am sorry. I didn't want either of you to find out this way.”  
“How did you want us to find out? Or did you want us to know at all?”  
“Well” she shrugged “I wasn’t planning on telling you any time soon. As when, if ever, I can’t answer that now. I don’t know.”  
Amy turned her attention to her Mother. Seeing even breathing, she relaxed, then easily picked her up, placing her gently upon the couch “I think let her rest for now” glancing to her father “perhaps you should keep an eye on her.”

While her Dad sat with her Mom, Amy turned to Kamilah, Lilly, Adrian and Jax “Well so much for a nice quiet dinner.”  
“Ok, let's cut to who were those guys?”   
“I don’t know Lilly” shrugged Amy   
“But they knew you, and it seemed you recognized them.”  
“Well that much is true.”  
“How is it that you recognize them Amy” Adrian asked “you have only been in New York for a year, and a vampire for only a couple of weeks. I do not know them, so how is it you do?”  
“They were in a recent dream” she shrugged  
“What dream?”  
Amy sighed deeply “It's a bit of a story Jax. I have been having recurring dreams recently, all centered around Rheya. Most recently I saw her surrounded by vampires” she gestured to the ash scattered over the floor “those were all in my dream. They were calling me to join Rheya.”

“So perhaps it's more than a dream then?”  
“You might be right Kamilah” nodded Amy “being a bloodkeeper I may have access to any memory of any vampire. And now that I’m a vampire, well my abilities could be a lot stronger.”  
“Are you saying what I think your saying” Lilly interrupted “you are saying this hot first vampire lady might be around. This is a thing you are saying?”

Silence blanketed the group, all of them considering the implications, finally Amy sighed, nodding “Yes, she may be. I have felt darkness from afar” she shared a long, loving glance with Kamilah, but Amy’s eyes held deep fear. Her voice grew softer “and I have felt darkness within myself. The darkness within me is reaching out to the darkness I feel out there” she waved vaguely at the window “I am feeling she might have returned.”  
“But how?”  
“I don’t know Lil. Its just a feeling.”  
“But what does she want with you?”

Before Amy could answer, a groan sounded from behind. Amy spun around to see her mother coming around. She took a step and was immediately by the side of the couch, kneeling down, holding her mother's hand.  
“Mom. You ok?”  
“Amy” her Mom whispered “Steven?”  
“Right here Mary” Amy’s Dad took the free hand, while Amy squeezed the one she held “I am here Mom.”

Mary blinked several times, gently moved her head from side to side, groaned a little, before trying to sit up.   
“Here Mom. Let me help you.” Amy easily helped move her Mom into a more comfortable sitting position. It was the ease that triggered Mary’s memory and her eyes widened in fear “You are strong!”  
“Yes Mom”  
“So it's true. You are...are….”  
“A vampire. Yes”  
Mary shied away from the word, and worry creased her face, well more like fear, and she moved to pull away from Amy, but Amy held tightly to her Mom's hand “Mom. Its ok. I am still me.”  
“Really? I don’t know what I saw a while ago, but it was not my daughter. It's like a monster inhabited my daughter.”  
That sentence rocked Amy, she staggered back, shocked at the heat and anger in her Moms tone. She knew not what to say. A hand went to her chest, her mouth opened and nothing came out.

The sound of someone moving drew the attention of Amy and her parents, as Kamilah stepped forward “You are wrong” she smiled at Amy “your daughter is not now, nor ever has been a monster. Yes she has changed, but she is still the same Amy. Stronger and faster perhaps, but still the same loving person she always has been.”  
“What do you know?” Mary almost spat “you are a vile animal too. I can’t believe you.”  
“I have done many vile things, it is true, but I am far older than you can imagine and I know Amy.”  
“Get away from me. Filthy animal. You have all destroyed my daughter.”  
“MOM” Amy shouted finally finding her voice “don’t you dare talk to Kamilah or my friends like that. They have saved me more times than I can count”  
“Well that's not completely true” smiled Adrian “Amy has saved us all time and time again.”  
“That doesn’t matter now Adrian” Amy waved her hand dismissively “Mom. You should not talk to my friends like that, especially the woman I love. And if you still want to have me in your life, you will have to accept what is going on. I know you have never been able to accept me in the past and now you have had two things dumped on you in the past couple of days. But I am your daughter and I want to have you and Dad in my life.”

Both her parents sat silently, obviously trying to digest all that had happened. Amy let her thoughts drift to what happened that night. To the attack, her dreams and the fact that Rheya might be alive. Finally, after several long minutes, her Mom asked “How...ho…how long have you been a...a…”  
“Vampire?” Amy queried, her voice distant, her eyes still lost in thought  
“Yes”  
Amy shrugged, her mind still distracted with thoughts “Just a couple of weeks. Kamilah is oldest, Adrian a couple of centuries, Jax a bit younger. Lilly was turned about a year ago, and I only became a vampire just over 2 weeks ago, after I died.”  
Amy winced at the gasp coming from both her parents. She frowned in apology as Kamilah snorted “Nice Amy. Break them in gently.”  
“Died!!” exclaimed her Mom  
Amy winced again “Sorry Mom. I was distracted. I didn't mean it to come out quite like that.”

A heavy silence filled the apartment. Amy was still distracted, but looked like she was going to say something, when she tilted her head as if listening. Still holding her Mom's hand Amy felt a presence and heard a distant call in her mind. She was drawn to it, like steel to a magnet. Abruptly standing up, she spun around and within seconds was almost pressed against the large window of the apartment. Looking out she saw New York at night, but her sight moved beyond. Leaning toward the glass, Amy pressed her left hand against it. 

Then she felt a hand upon her shoulder and a familiar soothing presense. She took comfort in the feeling of Kamilah beside her, drew strength from it and it pushed aside some of the fear she now felt flowing from the distance. Without looking, her expression taught Amy whispered “I feel her Kamilah. Out there, somewhere. She calls to me.”  
“Then we will face it together, as we always have.”  
Amy smiled at the confidence in the older vampire. Oh how she loved her. In one short year Kamilah had become the most important thing in her young life.

“What is going on here?” Amy’s Mom could not hide the asperity in her voice  
Amy took a deep breath, turned away from the window to face her Mom “Look Mom, I am sorry. You are about to get a lot of information, very quickly, much of it will be astounding, even unbelievable. But you need to know and I am sorry I cannot soften it for you.”  
“More unbelievable than being told my daughter is a vampire.”  
Amy laughed, there was a slight mocking tinge to it “Point. But possibly yes. Because as well as being a Vampire, I am also a Bloodkeeper, that it is something that has been passed down through our family for generations.”  
“What?”  
“I don’t know if its from your side or Dads, but the woman in my family can be a bloodkeeper. From what we have discovered, the bloodkeeper line is as old as Vampires and each generation one is born. Most live, grow old and die without knowing about it. Some few have learned to use their ability, but I am the first to become a Vampire. We do not know what that might entail, but I can only imagine that my blood is somehow linked to the lineage of vampires.”  
“I don’t understand”  
“I know Mom. Not sure I do, but let me tell you what has happened this past year.”

Amy leaned up against the window. Kamilah stepped closer and put an arm around her shoulders. Snuggling up against Kamilah, Amy inhaled the scent she loved so much. Kamilah’s presence was so comforting, as was her scent and the warmth that radiated from her. Leaning her head against her lovers shoulder, Amy looked at her Mom “Ok, when I first came to New York, I knew nothing about Vampires, or anything else. Only when I took my job at Raines corp did I learn what the world was really like” she smiled slightly, glancing at Adrian “found out my first night actually, so I am amazed they were able to conceal it from the public for so long.”  
Adrian grinned sheepishly “Who knew that I would have hired someone with your work ethic. Someone who would rush back to the office because she forgot to give me something” he shrugged “most probably would have left it till Monday.”  
“Ah well” Amy grinned back, wrapping her arms around Kamilah to pull her closer “you were undone by my strong work ethic.”

Amy moved slightly so Kamilah was more in front of her, and she could use both arms to hold her close, before she continued “Regardless, that first night I found out about Vampires. Adrian was going to have me get my mind wiped, but I refused.”  
“Typically stubborn of you” her Mom snorted  
“True” she nodded “anyway life continued, but that weekend Lilly was attacked. I begged Adrian to turn her. During all of that, it came to light that someone was turning vampires without authorisation, and they were becoming Feral. Long story short we took care of one problem, fixed the issue with the clanless, and then for 6 months we had peace - before all hell broke loose.”  
“I have so many questions right now”  
“About what Dad?”  
“Ferals, what are they, clanless, turning vampires without authorisation.”  
Amy nuzzled Kamilah’s neck as she took a deep breath. Kamilah gently stroked her hand, murmuring “Remember they do not know anything.”  
“I know love. I know.”  
Looking to her Dad, she replied “There is/was a council for New York. Six of the most powerful vampires worked together to keep the secret of their existence. That involved population control, but of course unauthorized turnings created vampires that belonged to know clan and for about a century there was no way to really deal with them. Vampires without a clan are at risk of turning Feral, think of a rabid animal, pretty much the same thing. Anyway we fixed it all. Jax was the leader of the clanless, we got him on the council, yada yada, all things good, for 6 months and then things started to fall apart again.”  
“How is this even possible?”  
“Anything is possible Mom” shrugged Amy “there are more than just Vampires out there. I haven’t even scratched the surface of that world. But anyway there is no need to go into everything. But the recent evacuation of New York was not for the reasons the public was told.”  
“Of Course it wasn’t”  
“We couldn’t let the knowledge out” Amy smiled grimly “but the evacuation was caused by an old vampire trying to regain his power. He was old, even older than Kamilah. Known as the second son, he was a direct descendant of the first vampire, and far more powerful than any other living vampire. So another long story short, he tricked us into finding the blood of the first vampire, he drank it, became really powerful. And the only way to kill him was with a stake from the tree of eternal life. We used my ability as a bloodkeeper to find the tomb of the first, got the stake and killed Gaius.”  
“But what happened to you? And what is a Bloodkeeper?” Amy could see the exasperation in her Moms expression

Looking around her friends, they all nodded, so she shrugged a little “Very well then. It was Gaius and his little servant Jamison that discovered I was a bloodkeeper. Since the dawn of Vampires there has been one mortal born to every generation with this ability. The blood keeper lineage gives one the ability to access all memories of every vampire that has walked this earth. After Gaius drank the blood of the first, we knew there was only one way to kill him, but none alive knew the location of the tomb, or at least no one we knew. But I was able to access memories to track down its location.”  
“Fine, that explains the Bloodkeeper, but you said you died. When?”  
Amy sighed “A couple of weeks ago. Ok, I was trying to avoid this, but since you are so insistent. At the end we had the stake, but none of the others could kill Gaius. He had too much power and since all living vampires are descended from him, he can control them, but me being mortal, he could not control that. I picked up the stake, rushed in to try to kill him and he jammed a sword in my chest. But before I became too weak I stuck the stake in his heart. We ended that threat.”

During the telling, Kamilah had reversed their positions. She now leant against the window, holding Amy snug against her. Amy took Kamilahs hands and pulled them tighter around her, almost like trying to wrap herself in a security blanket. Amy’s Mom and Dad just stared in amazed silence.

Some time later, Amy stood at the door of Kamilah’s apartment “Mom. Please remember that despite everything, I am still your daughter”. Her Mom glanced at her, her expression still mostly devoid of emotion, but she nodded, as her husband led her away. Amy turned, closing the door and leaning back against it. She let out a long, slow breath, her lips vibrating a bit, then glancing at Kamilah and the others “Well, not quite the night I had planned” they chuckled weakly “I still wish my Mom would have let me take them back to the hotel. I am worried.”  
“They need time love” Kamilah came up to Amy gently caressing her cheek. A caress Amy leaned into, as Kamilah continued “They have learned a lot tonight and they need time to accept it, digest it, do whatever they need to with it. And unfortunately, as much as you do not like it, they need that time without you.”  
“I know you are right Kamilah. I just don't like it.”  
“You are still young, incredibly young” Kamilah smiled at that “there will be many things you do not like.”  
“So what you are saying is that I should listen to the wisdom of ages?” Amy arched an eyebrow smiling widely as Kamilah chuckled at her come back “Ah my Amy. I love you. I know you are going through hardship now, but know you are never alone.”  
“I know” Amy caressed Kamilah’s cheek “and you give me so much strength.”

Lilly took Adrian and Jax back over to the dinner table, giving Amy and Kamilah a moment or two alone. Amy shot her a grateful glance, and turned back to Kamilah. She drank in the sight of her lover. The olive skin, long black hair, the ancient eyes full of light, love and wisdom. Placing her hands on each side of Kamilahs face, Amy leaned in, her red lips touching Kamilah’s soft, soft lips. Their lips met in a soft, tender kiss. Amy’s mouth opened, and Kamilah’s tongue swept into her mouth. Wrapping their arms around one another, they held each other close, their mouths moving as one, tongues tangling together.

All to soon their moment had to end. With a regretful sigh, Amy pulled back, smiled at Kamilah “I love you”  
“I love you too Amy.”  
Her hands slipped down Kamilah’s body, causing the older vampire to purr, but then she stopped, took Kamilah’s hand in her own and turned to Lilly, who was polishing off the carbonara, while Adrian and Jax looked on in astonishment.

“So you two finished” Lilly asked with a smirk  
“Yes Lil. Thank you” Amy couldn’t help but smile at her friend  
“Ok then good. Lets talk about this then. You seemed to be saying the first was back. Is this a thing we are talking about right now?”  
“It appears so” Adrian stepped forward “Although I would like to mention there is no evidence to suggest it.”  
“Other than my dreams” Amy spoke up but….”  
“But I would even have to ask how you think such a thing could be possible? The first died eons ago!”  
“I don’t know Adrian” Amy stroked her cheek with her free hand “but let’s for now, shelf the how it would be possible and lets focus on that it might be. Humour me please.”  
“Very well. What are you thinking?”  
“I am not sure Adrian. But I am the first bloodkeeper to become a vampire, that has to be pretty big. But also let us add everything up. I have been having dreams again, dreams of the first, dreams including a bunch of new vampires, that I have never seen before, until tonight. And I might add those vampires were uncommonly strong and fast. So what is the first question, if the First has returned?”  
“What would she do”  
Amy snapped her fingers, pointing at Lilly “Yes Lil, perfect. Now the old bird has been out of touch for a long time, she would have so much to learn. So if I was the first, I would hole up somewhere to learn about the world, but would want more of my kind around me, so…  
“Create more Vampires.”  
“Yes Kamilah” Amy nodded “one of the first things I would do is create new vampires to serve me, prior to reaching out to the bloodkeeper. And if these Vampires were created by the first, then would they not be uncommonly strong?”  
“You make some good points Amy. But again I come back to how would this be possible?”  
“I don’t know Adrian” Amy sighed “I just know it is. I have felt her presence. I feel it now, as a darkness in the back of my mind, calling out to my darkness. We are linked and bonded across time. We are related. She is back.”  
“Are you sure it's not your own…” Kamilah halted  
“My own darkness Kamilah?”  
“Yes”  
“No, I am not completely sure, but something inside me is reaching out to something out there. The out there” Amy waved to the window “is separate from me, yet connected”  
“What darkness?” asked Jax  
Both Kamilah and Amy hesitated, then Amy waved to Kamilah “Tell them

Kamilah took a deep breath “Amy has felt a darkness within her since first awakening. What happened earlier tonight is not the first time. Some dark instinct took her over earlier while we were training. I have never seen it happen before, but whatever it was, it made her strong and fast.”  
“I have been fighting this since I awoke” Amy spoke up. She looked at Adrian “I believe you will know what I am talking about.”  
“The serum?”  
“Yes, the serum. When you were under its influence you said you were not yourself.”  
“True, I did feel out of touch.”  
“As did I. That darkness comes from somewhere. My lineage and the blood of the First have to be linked in some way. You cannot deny that, and if there is a link, then I would be aware of her presence.”  
“That's possible, I suppose”   
“It is more than possible Adrian. I know it. Every fibre of my being tells me I am right.”  
“Well for the moment, let us assume you are right. What next?”  
“I...I” Amy sighed deeply “I really don’t know, she turned to stare out the window.

Adrian stepped up behind her, placed a hand upon her shoulder “Either way I think we need to do some testing on your blood. It would be good to discover what properties your blood has in it, in comparison to Rheya’s blood.”  
“If it will make you feel better Adrian. I am not sure what you think you will find though, but fine.”  
“Good then. When you come to work tomorrow we will go to the lab and draw some blood. In the meantime. I think you should get some rest. We will leave and give you and Kamilah some time alone. And” he smiled at her “I will check on your parents before I go to my penthouse.”  
“Thank you Adrian. I appreciate that.”

Amy hugged Lilly “Good night Lil. I will see you soon.”  
“Gnight bestie. Get some rest” Lilly looked at Kamilah “look after my bestie”  
“You know I will.”  
The three left Amy and Kamilah. When the door closed Kamilah turned and wrapped her arms around Amy, pulling her close. Kamilah held her close and Amy felt the breath against her ear, as her lover whispered “I think a relaxing bath, and then to bed.”  
“That sounds heavenly.”

Amy stepped into the deep bath full of hot, bubbly water. With a sigh, she settled down into the water. A slight movement and Kamilah slid in behind her, wrapping her arms around Amy and pulling her back to rest against her naked body.

Kamilah wrapped arms and legs around Amy, allowing the hot water to relax the muscles and soothe the tension out of Amy’s body. The two women lay in the hot water for some time, and then Kamilah moved a bit, reaching out for a cup and moving shampoo and conditioner close by.  
“Sit up just a bit love. I am going to help you relax.”  
And Kamilah gently poured some warm water over Amy’s hair, then working in shampoo. Using her fingers she kneaded the tension out of Amy’s head, then rinsed and conditioned. After her hair was clean, Kamilah slowly moved her hands over Amy’s body. Leaning in, Kamilah breathed on Amy’s neck, then her lips brushed the skin with a soft kiss. She kissed her way along Amy’s neck, her hands slowly sliding over her breasts, down her stomach, then below her lovers waist. 

Amy slowly undulated against Kamilah’s hands, enjoying the feel of the soft kisses and her lovers hand. Her lips parted slightly and a low gasp escaped as her pelvis rose against Kamilah’s hand. Kamilah kissed Amy again, then whispered “Just enjoy my love”, then she kissed the ear, her tongue snaking out to gently flick against it. Amy gasped again, her body slowly undulating against Kamilah, hear breath coming in slow gasps. Eyes closed, lips parted, breath gasping from between the lips, Amy let it all go and moaned in pleasure, surrendering herself to Kamilah’s ministrations.

Later Kamilah dried herself and Amy, then gently carried Amy to bed, laying her upon the soft sheets. She slowly slid in behind her, pulled the covers over them, and held her close.  
“Ok love, just close your eyes, rest”  
Amy relaxed as she felt Kamilah’s arms around her, she took her lovers hands, pulling them tighter, snuggling up against, loving the feel of Kamilah’s naked body resting against her back. She closed her eyes, and drifted off.

Amy dreamed again that night. This time Rheya sat alone upon a throne. She looked directly at Amy. Her deep brown eyes, reminiscent of Kamilahs brown eyes, but colder, harsher and lit with more even more power than Kamilah’s. She was beautiful, alluring and tempting. Amy felt drawn to her. Glancing around, this room was similar to the throne room in Mydiea, from Amy’s original visions. 

Rheya sat quietly, studying Amy as she examined the room, then once her attention was back, she spoke “I see you declined my invitation” Rheya’s voice was like silk. The direct conversation surprised Amy. This was not the regular type of dream. But Amy gathered her courage “It wasn’t much of an invitation. Sending armed thugs to my lovers home is hardly a good way to endear me to you.”  
“They served their purpose” Rheya shrugged “Now I know what you are capable of. You are powerful Bloodkeeper and you will come to me. You will be mine.”  
“No” Amy shook her head, “I will not”  
An amused look crossed Rheyas expression “Are you really going to try to tell me that you did not love the power coursing through your body? Did you not love the feeling of being able to destroy your enemies, of taking what you desired.”

Amy again took a moment, for in truth a part of her did enjoy the seductiveness of it, but finally she shook her head “No, not entirely.”  
“What part did you not like?” Rheya coaxed  
“I wasn’t myself. The power took over, and I was shunted aside and no longer had control over my actions.”  
“Ah, now there I can help you. I can show you how to blend with that power, to become one with it…”  
“So I can become just as bloodthirsty as you?”  
“Why not? Humans serve only one purpose, as food.”  
“I disagree”  
“Soon you will not Bloodkeeper. I feel the power in you. I sense it all the way across the world. It links us now, in your dreams. Your line was born the minute I became a Goddess. Your line was destined to serve me. You and your ancestors were created to be the Priestess of the Blood Goddess as she walks the Earth.”  
“No” Amy shook her head, but fear filled her at the thought, for even now she felt the pull to follow Rheya  
“Denying it will do you no good” Rheya chuckled “you are mine. It is your destiny to serve me and now that you have given up your mortal chains, you will become my Priestess and serve me for eternity.”  
“No”  
“Yes Bloodkeeper. You shall. You shall serve me, bring sacrifices to me, fulfill my will as I gain dominion over the miserable life on this planet. The mortals are my food source, the weaker vampires my servants. You and I will create a Vampire heaven and a horde of new sons and daughters that will lord it over the weaker ones and humans.”  
“No”  
“Yes Bloodkeeper. We shall”

“Those weaker vampires are the true inheritors of the Gods powers. They have found a harmony with the world that you will never achieve or understand. I will not serve you.”  
“Careful Bloodkeeper. None may decline me and live.”  
“One has. Your first son”  
Rheya snarled “That traitor”  
“Yes, but not to worry, he is dead now. Thanks to the those so called weaker vampires and one lowly mortal. That and your second son too.”  
“Ah Gaius. He was a true devotee.”  
“He was mad, the same as you and the same as Balthazar. Your have brought nothing but madness, death and despair to this world. Balthazar was mad with revenge. Gaius was mad with power, same as you, but I killed him.”  
“At what cost” Rheya murmured “you gave up your humanity for it.”  
“A sacrifice worth it.”  
Rheya smiled, mildly amused “Yes, I am sure it was. I can see your thoughts bloodkeeper. I see how much you wanted to be immortal. Thanks to my actions you now are. Had I not drank the blood of the tree you would not be here now. Had I not created my sons, you would not be here now. My actions caused you to be. That is the power of a Goddess.”  
“Those are the delusions of a mad woman.”  
“Continue to try and deny me all you want, it will only make my victory all the sweeter. Come. I know you wanted to be a vampire, now you are one of the most powerful. Only I stand above you. Blood of the tree runs in both of us now. You can be my High priestess, and we will rule forever.”  
“I have no desire to become like you.”  
“It is simply a matter of time.”  
“I do not want to give up who I am, and what I have.”  
“Oh you mean Kamilah” Amy looked surprised, Rheya nodded “again I see your thoughts. I see the memories you have of her. Oh she was once a strong one indeed, but has become weak and filled with weak emotions. We will make her yours if you wish her.”  
“She is already mine. She is my Queen.”  
“Ah, but not for long. We will make her your servant, your slave. Tell me, do you not find that thought intoxicating. Think of having Kamilah whenever, wherever and however you wanted, all the time.”  
“I can do that now, by her choice.”  
“Ah, but it will be so much sweeter when you have power and dominion over her

Rheya sat up straighter “Now we have spoken enough” her expression grew serious, her eyes distant “You will serve me Bloodkeeper.” Amy felt the compulsion then. It was stronger than ever “You will kneel before me, become my High Priestess and we will rule.” Again Amy felt the compulsion. She fought it, but oh it was so strong. It hurt so much to continue standing. Her body longed to obey the command and indeed a large part of her mind did too. She felt the power in Rheya, and knew similar power could be hers. Oh what she could not do in this world, she could become stronger than any, and serve the most beautiful Goddess. But deep inside, there was Amy’s true self, a self that had no desire for power, nor desire to give up what she had already found. She did not want to give up her parents, her life, her friends and her love. Thoughts of Kamilah rampaged through her. Amy’s knees had begun to bend, Rheyas expression turning exultant, but the thought of Kamilah strengthened Amy and shaking her head in denial, she straightened up. Amy felt the compulsion again, stronger than before, but bolstering herself with Kamilah, Amy stood like a tree in the storm, trying to fight. But her strength was waning. She fought and fought, but again was no match for Rheya, she was bending again, when this time she heard a beloved voice calling her name. She felt a hand upon her shoulder. Glancing she saw nothing, but she felt it nonetheless and the beloved voice came again “Amy my love, wake up. Come back to me Amy. I need you”

And with a gasp Amy sat upright in bed “I know what she wants and what I need to do.”  
“What Amy. Tell me?”  
“I need Serafine.”


	6. Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamilah and Amy head to Paris to see Serafine

"Slow down Amy” Kamilah spoke as her girlfriend raced around the apartment throwing clothes into a suitcase.  
“No time Kamilah. Have to go. I need to see Serafine. And you need to come with.”  
“So you have said, but now tell me why” Kamilah hopped out of bed, and was instantly by Amy’s side, reaching out to hold her “Tell me Amy.”  
“I know what Rheya wants with me.”  
“Yes you said that too. But talk to me. What does she want? And Why do you need Serafine?”

Amy took a deep, frustrated breath, closed her eyes and finally calmed herself “I am sorry Kamilah. Its just that time is of the essence.”  
“Take a moment. Talk to me Amy, and I will help you in any way you need it.”  
“Ok Kamilah” Amy took another deep breath “I had another dream”  
“I know…”  
“It was different. This time she spoke to me. She told me that my descendants were born to be the High Priestess of the Blood Goddess. In other words her. Now she is ecstatic that the most recent Bloodkeeper has become a vampire. She wants a High Priestess who will serve her forever.”

Kamilah took a firm hold of Amy’s shoulders, forcing her to look into her eyes “Amy just because she said that, does not mean it is going to happen. You have your choice.”  
“I know Kamilah, but its not that simple, or easy. I cannot deny her again. It was a losing battle this time. The compulsion to join her is to strong for me to resist. I could only hold out for a short time, and I was losing until you called me back” Amy placed her hands upon Kamilah’s shoulders “You are the one that gave me strength again love.”  
“Ok, so going to Serafine. You want to learn to control your powers?”  
“Yes Kamilah. She is the only psychic I know. She is the only one I can turn to. I need to control my powers, to keep Rheya out of my mind. I cannot face her again without.”  
“Very well. I will call Adrian and let him know and also get his jet. But I am curious. Why do you need me?”  
Amy smiled, her heart in her eyes “Well aside from just wanting your company, I need you to help Serafine feel safe.”  
“What? Why?”  
“Serafine already sensed darkness in me, and now that I am a vampire and that darkness so much stronger, well she might be concerned. So I am bringing you to reassure her and to protect her.” Amy looked intently at Kamilah, staring into her deep brown eyes “Kamilah I need you to keep me myself. If there is any time when I am losing myself to the darkness, I need you to talk me down as you did before. And if that doesn’t work” Amy hesitated  
“Yes” Kamilah coaxed  
“If there is a chance that I will lose myself, I need you to kill me.”

A couple of hours later Amy sat opposite Kamilah as Adrians jet climbed to cruising altitude. Kamilah, it seemed, could not look at Amy, directing her gaze out the window. Amy looked at her lover sadly. She knew she had requested the impossible from Kamilah, but she believed it had to be done.  
“I am sorry Kamilah”  
“Hmmm. For what” Kamilah still directed her gaze out the window  
“For what I asked of you.”  
Now Kamilah directed a burning gaze upon Amy “Oh its ok” she waved a hand “you only asked me to destroy my heart. After centuries of keeping it behind a wall, I open up and let someone in and now you want me to destroy it,”  
“Its not like that Kamilah”  
“It is exactly like that.”  
“No Kamilah” Amy sighed deeply, now looking out the window “I know I am potentially asking you to do something almost impossible, but I know you will do the right thing. I know you are capable of doing the right thing, of putting aside feelings and doing what is needed.”  
“You are asking me to kill the only thing I have truly loved, after my family.”  
“Ah Kamilah my love. If it comes to killing me, then it will not be me. You will be killing the darkness that is taking control of me.” Amy turned back to her love “I do not want to live as evil. If it needs to happen, I want to die as myself.”  
Their eyes were locked upon one another, Amy trying to purvey a host of emotions and how much she truly loved Kamilah and how much she feared losing herself “Kamilah. You are the only one I trust.”  
Silence filled the cabin for many a long minute, until Kamilah sighed deeply “I know Amy and I do understand the reason for your request. I hate it, but I understand.” She patted the seat next to her “Now come. Sit next to me.”  
Amy smiled slightly, and hopped over to sit next to Kamilah, leaning up against her shoulder, nuzzling her neck “I love you Kamilah” she whispered, as Kamilah put an arm around her and pulled her close.

Hours later, Amy lay with her head in Kamilah’s lap, while the older vampire gently stroked her hair. Kamilah was absorbed in something on her phone, probably work related, if Amy knew her and she did. Amy was content just to lie there, content in just being with Kamilah. She directed her own gaze up at the woman she loved. Kamilah was beyond beautiful and every time Amy saw her, or felt Kamilah’s hand touch her, her heart fluttered and filled with indescribable feelings. Never in her short life had Amy been so in love. Oh she had known love in the past, but it was nothing like what she felt for Kamilah. Every time she saw the beautiful face her heart was full. Every time those gorgeous, deep brown eyes gazed upon her Amy felt blessed. Even after everything they had been through, Amy would still lose herself in the womans eyes. The colour of rich tree bark, earth, living things, the brown was lit from within by a force of life Amy had never encountered and each time she gazed into that pool she could loser herself in it. Amy knew she was beyond lucky, but now she was more afraid than she ever had been before. She was terrified of losing herself and by default losing the greatest love of her life. Like before, she was afraid to lose Kamilah, afraid that no matter how much they fought, she would still be forced to leave her love. Kamilah glanced down, smiled “You should get some sleep love.”  
“Nah. I’m enjoying the view too much.”  
Kamilah rolled her eyes and Amy smiled at that. She still loved inspiring that reaction. Kamilah smiled though “Honestly love, you should get some sleep. We will still be a while in the air.”  
“Honestly Kamilah. I don't think I can.”  
“Why?”  
“I am worried about falling into another dream. If I meet Rheya again so soon, I am not sure I will have the strength to resist her.”

They felt the plane bank, and the Pilot announced their descent into Paris. Amy sighed and sat up on the chair. She had been quite comfortable lying on Kamilah’s lap, but probably wouldn't be the most comfortable position for landing. Feeling the need to maintain contact, Amy reached out and took Kamilah’s hand. The older vampire glanced and threw Amy a loving smile.

“Wow. It looks like we have not travelled anywhere” Amy smiled as she stepped into Kamilah’s office in Paris  
“I like to keep my own office looking the same. And all my office buildings have a training facility and my penthouse.”  
“Must be nice to be loaded.”  
“It is. I spent quite some time earning it and I think I can take some time to enjoy it.”  
“True that. And I have to admit” Amy sidled up to Kamilah, putting her arm around hers “it is nice to have a rich girlfriend.”  
Kamilah laughed her rich, rolling laugh, the sound full of humour and love. Amy just loved to her the older vampire laugh. It made her feel comfortable for some reason.

Kamilah disengaged and went over to the sideboard and started to pour a drink “Want one?” she threw over her shoulder  
“Sure, whatever you are having.”  
Kamilah poured two glasses of whitish liquor and brought one to Amy. Handing it to her, she wrapped her free arm around the girls waist and pulled her close. Placing a soft kiss to her lips, Amy hummed in satisfaction. After too short a time, Kamilah pulled back slightly “I contacted Serafine. She will be here when she can.”  
“Thanks Kamilah.”  
“In the meantime how about we relax.”  
“Mmmm, that sounds good. In what way?”  
“Well, also like my other buildings, there is a rooftop pool. The sun is down. I’d like a swim, and your company is always a bonus.”  
“If you would rather spend the time alone, I don’t mind” Amy smiled at Kamilah “I remember how you mentioned you found solace in being alone.” she hesitated a second “And since I was turned we have pretty much been together 24/7. I understand if you need your alone time.”  
Kamilah took a long moment to gaze at the girl she loved. She still saw the girl. Amy was so young, so optimistic, most of the time, stubborn, a typical youthful girl actually. But she also showed remarkable wisdom and resilience for one so young. Before Amy, Kamilah could not have imagined spending so much time with one person, but since meeting the young woman, that had changed. Now she relished the company, particularly since even when together Amy still gave her space and quiet when she needed it. Smiling wide Kamilah finally spoke “If I had wanted to be alone, I would not have asked for your company.”  
“But. I just wanted to make sure you were not doing it out of a sense of…” Amy stopped, looking for a word  
“Duty?” queried Kamilah, eyebrows raised  
“Yes”  
“I am not” Kamilah reached up to gently caress Amy’s cheek “I have grown quite accustomed to having you around. Ever since I first met you, you have become quite a fixture in my life. And when I told you I wanted to share my life with you, I meant it. Then when I thought I had lost you, well, from that point on, I knew I wanted you with me. You give me what I need Amy, never doubt that.”

After a long, relaxing swim together, the two vampires dressed and came back down to Kamilah’s office. There Kamilah made herself comfortable behind her desk and became absorbed in some kind of work. Amy smiled at the sight, and moved over to the window. She was nervous about meeting Serafine again, so she stood gazing out the window, lost in thought.

The last time Serafine had seen her, was before they had faced off against Gaius. Amy had been human, and even then Serafine had sensed something dark within her. In fact she had said she sensed a monster hidden deep within. Now Amy knew that was related to her bloodkeeper lineage, for she felt it herself. But how would Serafine feel about her being a Vampire. No one knew or could know what the mix of the two could result in. Amy was worried that Serafine might not be willing to help her. Helping to control psychic powers would mean that Serafine would have to open her mind up to Amy. Would she risk that? She could only hope that Kamilah’s presence would reassure her.

Time passed. Amy continued to gaze out at Paris. Of Course Kamilahs office was in a prime location with an amazing view of the city. Lost in thought, her eyes drifted over the night lit city below. She jumped, when someone knocked at the door  
“Come” Kamilah’s voice steadied Amy as she turned to see the beautiful Serafine enter. Kamilah stood and made her way around her desk, smiling welcomingly, embracing Serafine and returning her gesture of kissing each cheek. Amy stood back a second, a bit more hesitant, and Serafine turned to her with a broad smile “Moi Cherie” she said “Its so wonderful to see you again” Amy practically ran forward to hug and kiss both her cheeks “Its so good to see you Serafine.”

Kamilah offered Serafine a drink, she accepted and sat opposite Kamilah at the desk, but turned towards Amy, who still stood a few feet away “You are nervous Cherie. What is wrong?”  
“I...I”  
Serafine held up her hand “Allow me. Kamilah filled me in on some events, and I can feel your new status. You look even more gorgeous by the way” she smiled wider “and right now I am assuming you have come to me to assist you in controlling your abilities.”  
“Yes. Will you?”  
“Of Course love. Why were you so nervous to ask?”  
Amy looked uncomfortable then said “Because of what you said when we last parted, about the hidden Monster you sensed in me.”  
“Ah. I understand. Well I still sense it, but you are my friend Amy. Ofcourse I will help” she looked quizzically at Kamilah “is that why you brought Kamilah?”  
“Well aside from her company” Amy smiled somewhat “Yes. I thought her presence would reassure you.”  
“About what?”  
“About my darkness.” Amy hesitated, then continued “You were right about the Monster hidden within. That is partly what makes me who I am, it is akin to the blood of the First, in that my lineage was created when Rheya was. But now, and I must share this with you. I have been struggling to contain that darkness. When I get angry and lose control, it can assert itself. So far Kamilah has been able to bring me back.”  
“Ah. I understand.”  
“There is more Serafine. The darkness is powerful, it is linked to my bloodkeeper abilities, but more so. I have powers that are beginning to awaken, powers that give the darkness a stronger hold”  
“So Kamilah is here in case you lose control while we work together. She is here to talk to you back?”  
“Yes” Amy nodded, then more quietly “and to kill me if necessary.”  
“What? Why?”  
“Well” Amy rubbed her cheek absently “there is one more thing you need to know. Rheya has returned, and she wants me.”

Serafine was rocked by the announcement. She leaned back in her chair, an astounded expression and apparently speechless for a long minute. Both Kamilah and Amy gave her the time she needed. Finally she was able to move, Serafine leaned forward, took a sip of her drink and huskily said “How? And How do you know?”  
“The first how, I am unsure, but I think it has something to do with my being a Vampire. The second how. She has been reaching me through my dreams. We are connected, and she has her own abilities anyway. Also she sent a group of newly changed vampires to invite me to join her. I declined, with prejudice.”  
Kamilah snorted a laugh “She certainly did. She killed more of them than even I did.”  
Amy smiled, pleased at the compliment, but even Serafine saw the worry in her eyes  
“What is it cherie?”  
Amy shrugged “I was stronger and faster than even Kamilah, and I felt so much power in me, but I came close to losing myself. Were it not for Kamilah there is no telling what would have happened.”  
“There is more? You are not telling me how you knew these vampires were sent by Rheya”  
“I saw them in a dream the night before they barged in. They were with Rheya in what looked like a throne room. I saw all of them and recognized them when they attacked. And…”  
“Yes” Serafine encouraged  
“They were really fast and strong. I am talking Gauis level strong.”  
“She is right about that” Kamilah spoke up “they were some of the strongest Vampires I have ever faced, more so than me. The only thing they lacked was experience. Which lends credence to the idea that they were created by Rheya recently.”  
“That night, after the attack I had another dream. In this one Rheya and I spoke.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“We carried on a conversation” shrugged Amy “it took me a minute, but I did realize that it was not a dream at all. We were mentally linked.”  
“What did she want?”  
“Me! She told me about the origins of the Bloodkeeper and that my line were supposed to be High Priestesses for something like that. Anyway she wanted me to join her, to take up my role” Amy hesitated, glanced out the window, before continuing in a quiet voice “the compulsion to join her was almost impossible to refuse” when she turned her gaze back, Serafine so the tears in her eyes, along with the fear “I do not think I could resist her again. She is too strong. She is the Mother of our race, she has the power of a Goddess, I cannot resist. I need to learn to keep her out.”

Amy returned her gaze out the window, lost in thought and fear once again. Silence filled Kamilah’s office. Kamilah sat behind her desk, gazing worriedly at Amy, while Serafine sat staring into space for many long seconds, before she jumped up, startling both Kamilah and Amy “Moi Cherie. But of course I will help”  
Amy heaved a sigh of relief, tension leaving her shoulders, and only then did she notice the ache in them. Smiling tremulously she said “Thank you Serafine.”  
“We should begin immediately. It looks like you have not slept in a while.”  
“Not since the night of the attack.”  
“Well, let us begin and get you some blocks in place so you may sleep again”  
“What do you need Serafine? Any privacy, quiet?”  
“Ah no Kamilah. In fact your presence will be most helpful as Amy finds solace in it, so here is just fine.”

“So what do we do?”  
Serafine smiled fondly at Amy “We will do some more bonding. Fortunately I have been inside your mind before, but I feel more bonding will be good since you have changed. We sit, drink, talk for a bit, and then we will get inside each others heads.”  
“Sounds good” Amy sat next to Serafine, while Kamilah poured some more drinks “where do we start?”  
“How about with what happened after we parted?” suggested Serafine

Realising this was more about the bond between the two than about true information, Kamilah leaned back in her chair and allowed Amy to tell the story. Kamilah watched Amy closely. Amy had become the bright part in her life. The joy of having her for eternity, had been short lived, to be replaced with worry over losing her again. Not too long ago, Kamilah had had to come face to face with her fear over losing Amy. It had been centuries since she had feared for someone else, and going through that previously with Amy was horrible, but to have to do it again, after she had become a Vampire was incomprehensible. At this point, they should not be having to worry, but there was always something. Kamilah’s thoughts turned a bit dark, as she wondered if she was going to be robbed of her happiness again. Perhaps she was not meant to experience it. Feeling sadness well up within, Kamilah shook herself and forced herself to focus on what Amy was saying. If there was something to worry about, then she had better do all that she could to enjoy every single minute of Amy.

For her part, Amy was aware of Kamilahs look and she could imagine what was going through the older vampires mind. Some of the same thoughts were probably going through Amy’s too. Still she did her best to focus on Serafine, telling her everything that happened, including the night she spent with Kamilah in the mall. That memory brought a smile to her face. For a moment, Amy is lost in that memory. She comes back to herself when Kamilah shifts in her chair, and with a sheepish smile “Sorry, so where was I. Ah yes the next day Priya attacked, we fought them off, Kamilah and I killed her, but some of Jax’s clan were kidnapped. Gauis offered to give them up for Kamilah, Adrian, me and Jax. We used that against him, he thought we were surrendering. Kamilah was going to be the one to stake him, but that kind of fell apart.”  
“In what way?”  
“He was too powerful Serafine. He could control them all with his power. He stopped them, the stake fell on the ground close to me. And I realized I was the only one he could not control. I picked it up, moved in to kill him and stabbed me with Jax’s sword. I still managed to ram the stake into his cold heart. He died, I died.”  
“Wow” Serafine breathed “just wow. I had no idea what happened. All I knew was that you all must have won” she smiled at Kamilah “Did you turn her then?”  
“Actually No. I tried, but failed”  
Serafine looked between the two in confusion, when Amy spoke “I had a sword right through my heart.”  
“Oh. Well.” she looked astounded “How then?”  
“That is something we are not sure of” Kamilah murmured  
“I do have a theory though” and both Kamilah and Serfine turned on Amy. She was quiet for a moment, never having given voice to this thought “We know that there must be a link between the Bloodkeeper line and Rheya yes.”  
“But not enough to make you a Vampire upon death, or it would have happened before.”  
“True enough Serafine” nodded Amy “maybe a violent death is the difference, but that was not what I was thinking.”  
“What were you thinking” and Amy smiled up at Kamilah  
“You haven’t figured it out yet love?” Amy smiled more “a few moments before I grabbed the stake, Jax tried to take out Gaius with his sword, and then when I ran at him, Guais stuck it in me, right in my heart.”  
“You think there might have been blood on it?”

Amy was quiet for a moment, her gaze moving between Kamilah and Serafine, giving them a moment to consider the implications.  
“Yes Kamilah. Don’t you think it possible? I mean he drank the blood of the first, perhaps a little bit diluted from being in Rheya, but it was still blood from the tree. That would make him almost as powerful as the first. And since I have this Bloodkeeper thing going on, and then add to that your blood when you tried to turn me. Well I am just wondering if the mingling of those two is what brought about my change.”  
“At the moment, anything is possible” Kamilah shrugged “there has never been, to my knowledge, a Bloodkeeper vampire. So we can’t tell what may have occurred to bring about your change” Kamilah smiled reassuringly “what we can do is make sure you are equipped to live with the changes and arm you handle yourself.”  
“True” Serafine stood up “and now it is time cherie” she looked to Amy “come, sit with me over in the corner. Kamilah’s presence is needed, but so also is space and quiet.”

Amy adopted the same pose as Serafine, sitting cross legged on the floor, facing her. The two held hands, their eyes locked as Serafine spoke softly “I remember how it felt to navigate your mind before. It should not have changed much. I will establish the link between us and from there we will work on controlling your psychic abilities.”  
“What are we going to do?”  
“To fully utilize your mind, and block others from entering, requires you to control your ability. The best way to do that is to teach you to use it. I am going to help you along the path to utilizing your power, directing it and using it as you will. There will be hurdles, as your abilities are not the same as mine. For one, you can see the memories of others as if they are just floating around, while I would have to be direct contact with them. But the same principles should apply.”  
Amy nodded, swallowing nervously. Serafine smiled reassuringly “I am sure you will pick it up fast. I saw last time, just how astute your mind is.”

Sitting across from each other, Amy gazed into the eyes of Serafine. Within seconds her eyes were all she could see, they were her only focus, and then her voice sounded in her mind “Close your eyes Amy. Let me guide you”  
Amy did as bidden and as soon as her eyes closed she could feel Serafine within her. Without words, Serafine started to direct her in how to target her ability, showing her how to locate specific memories, to recall everything and bend her own abilities to her will.

Sometime later, it felt like hours, may have been two or three Amy was starting to get the hang of how her abilities worked. She had been able to pick out memories from particular vampires, although knowing them made it easier. To practice she turned her thoughts to Kamilah and Serafine, and a memory of the two of them together. Aloud, she murmured “Wow Kamilah, thats hot”  
“What” Kamilah sat up, seeing Serafine blush  
Without looking Serafine smiled “Its ok cherie. It is just this girl is a quick study.”  
“What are you talking about?”  
For a moment, Amy ignored the question, concentrating upon the memory she was viewing. It was incredibly sexy. Kamilah and Serafine were both beautiful and together, they were on fire with passion. Amy cocked her head to the side, almost as if trying to get a better angle, and she gasped “Oh my, thats wow.”  
“What is wow?”  
Finally Amy opened her eyes and smiled broadly at Kamilah “You are my love.”  
“What were you doing?”  
Serafine laughed, still flushed “I was showing her how to direct her abilities, she picked it up quickly and just so happened to view a memory of us.”  
“Oh” Kamilah actually blushed a bit  
“It was hot as hell” Amy grinned “sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude, but proximity to the person makes it easier for me to target their memories, and since I know both of you, it made it easier.” She threw a wink at Kamilah “I know you have a past, it doesn’t bother me, so don’t worry.”

After a few minutes of rest, Amy and Serafine went back to practice, this time with Amy asking for Serafine to provide a name of a Vampire, so she could attempt to find his memories. With help, it grew easier and easier to do that. But still, it was tiring and Amy’s attention started to flag. She had just finished viewing a particular memory, when she inadvertently fell into one of Rheya. It was not current like before, but it awoke the compulsion she had felt the other day, and the darkness within her responded. So quickly did it rise that it took Amy by surprise. She was in no way prepared for it to surge upward in response to the memory of Rheya. Amy tried to push it down, to keep it under control, but it was a dark miasma rising from the depths of her mind, spreading over her thoughts, and taking control. Amy gasped in agony. So much pain. Every nerve within her screamed. She would never have imagined that it hurt so much to lose yourself, but it did. Seconds passed, and Amy lost more and more control, felt herself being shunted to a dark corner as the dark miasma covered her link a suffocating blanket. Tired as she was Amy lost all control and by the time she got a grip of her fear, she had lost.

Serafine, mentally linked with Amy, felt the darkness arise. She felt power flow through Amy. Serafine gasped in acute agony, as Amy overwhelmed her mind in one swift assault. Her grip on Serafines hand tightened, and when Serafine opened her eyes Amy stared at her, but everything about the look was different. Her eyes were alight with power, an ancient power, ancient knowledge and Serafine felt the compulsion to surrender to Amy. Gasping she tried to reach Amy, but the power was too much, and the pain beyond belief. Tears ran down her face, she gasped aloud “Amy, please. You are hurting me.”  
“You will serve me” the voice that came from Amy’s mouth was similar, but overlaid with power and sounded different. Kamilah sat up in shock, fear etched on her face. Serafine shook her head, gasping “No Amy, this is not you. This is not who you are.”

“I am Power, and you will be mine” and then Amy’s eyes glowed with sheer energy.


	7. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy and Kamilah are homeward bound, but what is waiting for them upon arrival? With Rheya back who will survive what is to come?

In Paris, having spent many hours learning to channel her ability, Amy grew tired, fell into a memory of Rheya and the darkness within her rose up. The power and darkness consumes Amy from within, and begins to exert its will over Serafine. The vampire psychic pours all her strength into holding it off, trying to reach Amy, but she knows it is a battle she will lose. The power within Amy is just too strong, too old, too much a part of what makes a Vampire, for Serafine to resist for long. Gasping, with tears running down her cheeks, from pain, Serfine manages a strangled cry “Kamilah, help please.”

Kamilah, had already been moving around her desk, as soon as she sensed the darkness. The strangeness of Amy’s voice had brought her to a halt, as had the compulsion to do what Amy wanted, but Serfines cry got her moving again. The sound of Amy’s voice had scared Kamilah. Never had she heard it laced with so much power and authority. It still sounded and felt like Amy, but so much more. Fear of losing her love, got her moving.

In a flash she was by Serafine’s side “What can I do”  
“Take...my...hand” Serafine was struggling “I need...you...with...me”  
Kamilah grabbed Serafine’s right hand and her mind fell into chaos. There was so much going on, it was like she had fallen into a whirling vortex of noise, energy emotions. Kamilah gasped in pain, screwing her eyes shut, she hung on to Serafine, trying to stop from being kicked out of the madness. Within the vortex she heard Serafine calling to Amy, she felt the power and overwhelming compulsion coming from Amy, and heard Amy’s power laced voice, but deep, deep within the vortex Kamilah also heard one small voice, it was immediately recognizable, for it was the true voice for her beloved.

Focusing on the quiet voice, Kamilah tried to move toward it, but her mind felt buffeted by the storm around her. Energy screamed around Kamilah, threw her into a mad spin, shrieking deafened her and she felt Serafine succumbing to the will of Amy, or whatever Amy had become. She knew they had moments only. Gathering her resolve, Kamilah pushed onward, refusing to lose her love again. Determination got Kamilah deeper into the maelstrom within what must be Serafine’s mind. She was blinded by darkness, light and whirling energy and soon lost her way. But through it all, Kamilah could hear the small, distant voice of Amy, and she yearned to reach that.  
“Hurry” came the strained through ot Serafine  
“I’m trying, but I cannot find my way.”  
Kamilah felt a small energy surge, and a bridge of light appeared. Instantly she knew it was Serafine pointing her way and Kamilah followed it. 

Having the light to follow helped. Kamilah was still buffeted, and slowed by the dark power that was consuming Amy. The dark power that was even more compelling than Gauis was at his height. She burned with the need to surrender to it, but at her core, was the need to get to Amy. Kamilah used that fire in herself and the light supplied by Serafine to continue moving. As she pushed toward the small voice, she called out into the darkness “Amy, I am coming my love. Hold on. Fight the darkness. I need you. Do not give up.”

Finally Kamilah broke through the turmoil, the bridge of light vanished, as a small pinprick of brilliant white sat just before her. The light that was Amy, was brilliant, but dimming fast. Not knowing why, Kamilah rushed forward into that light, and was suddenly surrounded by peace and love, light and warmth. It was like being in the sun, or what she remembered of sun after 2000 years. And finally she heard Amy’s voice “Kamilah. You came”  
“Of course I did.”  
“I am sorry love.”  
“For what?” Kamilah asked in surprise  
“For succumbing to the darkness.”  
“Not your fault. We pushed you too hard, you were tired. But now its time to get you back in control.”  
“I haven’t the strength Kamilah. You have to kill me.”  
“No”   
“You promised Kamilah” Amy’s voice grew more distant  
“I promised to do that if there was no other way. Right now, we are not there yet. You will not give up on me Amy.”  
“I cannot fight any more Kamilah. The darkness is too strong.”  
“No Amy. I refuse to accept that. You are stronger than anything. I have never met a more optimistic, stubborn person. You fought your way into my heart, do not dare to leave it broken. Fight it Amy.”

Amy had been lost in the chaotic darkness, calling out for anyone. How long had passed she did not really know. She was aware of what was being said, but had no control over her own mouth. It was a horrifying experience. She was on the verge of surrendering completely to the darkness, to losing herself, when she sensed Kamilah. It was faint at first, but got stronger with each passing second and then unbelievably, her presence was right here with her. When she said for Kamilah to kill her, she felt the older vampires anger, and heartbreak role over her. It broke her own hear to feel that, knowing she had asked Kamilah to do something like that. And then hearing that Kamilah needed her to fight, and what she had always thought of her, well that helped her backbone stiffen up. Amy saw that she had been about to just surrender, and normally giving up without a fight was not a part of who she was. This darkness must have been influencing her in some way. Enough was enough. She had felt the longing in Kamilah, it touched the same longing she had. They had just gotten together, Amy was not about to lose that now.

Taking strength from what Kamilah said, Amy tried to reassert herself, within her own mind. It felt like a pointless struggle, the darkness was so strong. But then she felt an influx of energy and strength. Confused, at first, it took mere seconds to realize it came from Kamilah. She even felt Kamilah’s hand holding her own. Taking that strength, carrying her love for Kamilah, and Kamilahs love for her, Amy used it all, forcing herself up out of the small corner the darkness had cast her to.

Amy opened her eyes, blinking, blinded by the light of the office. First she saw Serafine, then Kamilah, both smiling at her  
“Welcome back love”  
“Oui cherie. That was well done.”  
“Kamilah” Amy smiled “thank you so much” then she turned to Serafine “I am sorry if I caused you any pain.”  
Serafine waved a careless hand “It is no matter. You proved to me that you are strong.”  
“Not sure about that. I couldn’t have gotten myself back were it not for the two of you.”  
“That's the thing cherie. Goodness is never alone. You came back to yourself, that is the most important thing.”  
“But what happens next time I fall into the darkness, or expose myself to even a memory of Rheya.”  
“Worry not. After some rest, and food you will be ready to learn how to keep others out, including stray memories.”

Amy settled back into the chair, as the plane soared skyward, leaving Paris behind. She was still tired, but now felt more able to control her abilities and protect her mind from unwanted intrusion. Kamilah sat opposite her, gazing out the window, and Amy watched the vampire, admiring her beauty and thanking all the gods that she was in her life. There was no way Amy could imagine life without her Kamilah.

As if feeling the gaze upon her, Kamilah turned to Amy and smiled. When the brown eyes fell on Amy her heart almost stopped. Damn but how could she still have such an effect on her. Every time she looked into Kamilah’s eyes, it was as if the world stopped, and the entire universe was contained in the deep, brown orbs. But the look of love, passion and lust that filled Kamilah’s eyes was what completely caught Amy off guard all the time. Perhaps that was it. She found it so difficult to believe that someone like Kamilah could be hers, but just one look into the eyes was enough to convince her every time.

Knowing full well the effect her glance had on Amy, Kamilah grinned hungrily. She lifted her hand and beckoned to Amy, patting her lap “Come here Amy.”  
“What are you wanting” Amy asked with an arched eyebrow  
Kamilah’s gaze narrowed “Did I say you could ask questions. I told you to come here.” There was a seconds silence, then to emphasize the command “Now Amy.”  
Amy’s heart fluttered. There were so many things she loved about Kamilah. Her commanding tone and presence were but two of those things. Despite a naturally irreverent attitude, Amy could never stop herself from obeying Kamilah. She smiled coyly, released the seatbelt, stood up and took the two steps necessary for her to be right in front of Kamilah. With hands on her hisp, eyebrows raised, she looked down questioningly. Kamilah gazed up, her face still commanding, as she patted her lap “Straddle me.” Obediently Amy placed a leg either side of Kamilah and slowly lowered herself, while placing her arms around Kamilah’s shoulders.

Kamilah smiled pleased as Amy took up her position and placed her own hands at Amy;s waist. She still had a look upward, but her gaze went directly into the loving eyes of Amy. Looking upward Kamilah said “You went through alot in Paris. It is time to remind you that you are loved.”  
“And pray tell, how will you do that love?”  
“Impertinence Amy” Kamilah raised an eyebrow “none of that now.”  
Grinning impishly Amy said “I am ever so sorry love. Please tell me what you desire.”  
“That's a bit better, but still an impertinent tone. Still I will let it go for now. Kiss me.”  
“Mmmm, Yes Miss” Amy leaned in her soft lips touching Kamilahs, the older vampires mouth opened, her tongue snaked out and into Amy’s mouth. Kamilah moved a hand up behind Amy’s neck, pulled her closer. Amy moaned as Kamilah filled her mouth with her tongue, and she moved her pelvis against Kamilah’s legs. For the longest time they kissed, Amy surrendering her mouth to the tongue of Kamilah, just the way the older vampire liked it. And truly, it was just the way Amy loved to kiss too. Finally Kamilah allowed Amy to pull back, both women were gasping. Swallowing Kamilah grinned “I think it is time we get you into the mile high club.”  
“Mmmmm. Whatever you desire Miss.” Amy smiled coyly  
“Good Girl” Kamilah stroked Amy’s cheek softly “you really are such a good girl, and I love you so much.”  
“I love you too my Kamilah.”

Taking Amy by the waist Kamilah stood up from the seat, easily holding the younger woman. Two steps, then she leaned over, placing her upon the seat directly before her. Leaning over Kamilah kissed Amy with passion, her tonight once again filing and exploring Amy’s mouth. Once again Amy moaned, wrapping her arms around Kamilah, trying to pull her down, but Kamilah pulled back, shaking her head. Grinning she drew a finger nail teasingly down Amy’s cheek “Oh no my sweet girl. This is for you.”

Leaning forward, Kamilah placed a hand either side of Amy’s face, grasping her tenderly, but also tightly. Slowly she brought her lips down to Amy’s. Looking up Amy opened her mouth in expectation as Kamilah’s lips engulfed Amy’s. Once again Amy surrendered her mouth to Kamilah’s tongue as the older vampire kissed her voraciously, hungrily, almost devouring her younger lover.

Amy lost herself in the devouring kiss, giving herself completely over to Kamilah. Her mouth was Kamilah’s, just as she herself was. Finally Kamilah pulled back, Amy gasped in a deep lungful of air, only to gasp in surprise as Kamilah sank her fangs into her neck. Pleasure erupted from her neck as Kamilah drew blood. It was surprising indeed, for she had not thought such pleasure would be felt while she was a vampire, but Kamilah feeding upon her was just as pleasurable as it had been. So much so, that Amy wrapped her arms and legs around Kamilah, pulling her closer. Amy felt Kamilah shift slightly and suddenly she felt the hand dip inside her pants, and then inside her wet panties. Allowing her head to fall back, Amy gasped in sheer delight and ecstasy as Kamilah fed upon her and stroked her. Amy thrust her pelvis up, trying to get Kamilah’s fingers deeper, as she felt her fangs sink in further, drawing more and more pleasure from her.

Cries, moans and gasps erupted from Amy’s mouth as Kamilah brought her to orgasm, and then Kamilah pulled away, smirking. Taking a moment, in between gasping breaths Amy said “I...I…I didn't think it would feel like that still.”  
“Oh my sweet young thing” Kamilah stroked Amy’s cheek “all things feel good for us. But this is just the beginning.”  
Working quickly, Kamilah had Amy naked in seconds. She knelt down on the floor of the plane, put a hand on each knee, looked up at Amy grinning “Now spread your legs.” and she pushed them apart and with a hungry growl, dove upon Amy, her tongue snaking out and sliding deep inside her lover. Amy threw her legs over Kamilah’s shoulders as she felt her lovers hands cup her butt cheeks, lifting her closer to the tongue lapping at her. Groaning and moaning Amy thrust her pelvis up into Kamilahs’ face, relishing the feel of the vampire devouring her. Sex as a vampire was 100 times better. Every nerve was super sensitive, and she felt every ridge on Kamilah’s tongue as is slid inside her.

Amy’s moans grew louder as Kamilah slid a finger in along with her tongue. The feeling of Kamilahs finger and tongue inside her was electric, sending surges of pleasure throughout her entire body. Amy bucked against Kamilah, as the woman flicked her tonight against her clit, pushing her finger in deeper. Finally Amy thrust upward, screaming as Kamilah placed her lips around her clit and sucked it inward. Orgasm thundered through Amy, stronger and longer than ever before.

Amy sits up, leaning forward to kiss Kamilah. She is still beyond turned on, and grasps the older vampire, pushing her back into the chair opposite, hovering above her, their lips locked together. Amy’s hands move down, sliding under the waistband of Kamilah’s pants, as she once again opens her mouth to Kamilah’s tongue. After a long, long minute Amy pulls back, still rubbing Kamilah, and she whispers I want to taste you. As she is moving down to undo the button of Kamilah’s pants, her mouth lowering to kiss exposed skin, Kamilah placed a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look up. Kamilah shakes her head “Oh no my sweet. If you are going to eat me, I am going to be on top.”  
“As you wish” and Amy cannot restrain her wanton smile, as she lies the full length of the row of chairs and waits for Kamilah. Watching she sees the vampire slowly undress, exposing skin with deliberate slowness. Amy licks her lips in anticipation and Kamilah arches an eyebrow at that “Just flexing my tongue honey” Amy grins “now come get it.” Kamilah pulls off her pants, throws them aside, steps over and places a leg either side of Amy’s head. Amy looks up, losing herself in the vision above her. She is beyond turned on, to see Kamilah hovering above her, and slowly lowering toward her mouth. Eagerly, Amy lifts her head, her tongue stretching out for that first taste and finally her tongue slides inside Kamilah. The older vampire hums in satisfaction and Amy moans in pleasure at the taste, her tongue sliding in and out of Kamilah. Moans increase from both women and they lose themselves in the pleasure.

A couple of hours later Amy rested in Kamilah’s arms as the plane made its way back to New York. Her head lay in Kamilah’s lap and she gazed up at the woman “Thank you love” she smiled “that was amazing” Amy hesitated a second, then with concern in her voice “I really don’t know why you are not afraid of me.”  
“I have no reason to be. I know you Amy”  
“But I lost control in Paris. It must have been painful for you to enter my mind when that was happening.”  
“Any discomfort was incidental and fleeting next to the pain at the thought of losing you.” Kamilah looked down upon Amy, smiling gently “that is my greatest fear. Losing you.”  
“I fear losing you too Kamilah. But more than that, I fear that I will be the cause of losing you.”  
Kamilah gently stroked Amy’s cheek “No Amy. You will never be the cause. I love you and I will stick with you through everything.”  
“But even without Rheya, there will be threats. As I am, or will be one of the most powerful vampires, I will always be a target, as will those close to me.”  
“Then we will face any threat together.”  
The two of them snuggled down more as comfortably as they could on a plane and rested for the remainder of the trip.

Amy dozed, then fell into a deeper sleep. While she slept, she dreamed. This time it felt more prophetic. In her dream, Kamilah and her fought off a group of vampires, and it appeared to be on the tarmac outside the hanger where Adrian kept his plane. The two fought well, but were really outnumbered. And then she saw a sword burst from Kamilah’s chest. In her dream, she screamed, and then felt an iron grip upon her arm. Turning she saw Rheya, eyes aglow with power. Gasping Amy sat up, sweat on her forehead, and tears running down her cheeks  
“Amy, what is it? Did you have a dream?”  
“Y...ye...yes. But this one felt different.”  
“What was it about?”  
“We were fighting some vampires. It looked like the airport, but I can’t be completely sure, and then I sa….saw a sword come out of your chest. Oh Kamilah. I can’t lose you. I am scared now.”  
“Hush my love” Kamilah stroked her hair “shhhh. Its ok. I am sure it was just a dream. Your worries are being manifested in your dreams.”  
For a second that thought reassured Amy, but then worry started to gnaw at her. She was sure this was more. But was there a reason to try to argue with Kamilah, when the older vampire was just trying to reassure her. Perhaps, with what she saw in the dream, it could be avoided. Just then the pilot announced their descent into Laguardia airport. Amy swore to herself she would not lose Kamilah.

The descent was quick and all too soon the plane touched down, and taxi’d to the hanger. Gathering her resolve Amy stood up and both her and Kamilah left the plane. Standing at the top of the stairs Amy scanned the area, with narrowed eyes. It looked similar to her dream, but she could see no one. Descending the stairs slowly, Amy continued to scan, but still saw nothing. Kamilah walked quietly behind her, also alert, despite how she had tried to reassure Amy on the plane. They set foot on the ground and still nothing happened. A car was waiting, and quickly they walked toward it, Amy almost jumping at every shadow, but they reached the car without incident.

Settling into the leather seats of car, it drove off, and Amy sat back with a sigh “Well it appears I was worried over nothing.”  
“Dreams do not always mean something Amy. Sometimes it is just your worry.”  
“I know, but this one just felt so real.” Amy tried to relax, but her nerves were still agitated as the car pulled out of the airport, heading towards Kamilah’s building in the city. It was the middle of the night, just a few hours from dawn, and traffic was blessedly not too heavy, so the journey into New York did not take long. Amy looked out the window and the lighted, tall buildings surrounding the streets. She had not been in New York for all that long, almost a year, but she had come to love this city. Perhaps she loved it because she had found such deep, profound love here. Perhaps because it had changed her life and given her so much. Every time she was out in the city, she felt the vibrant pulse of all the life in New York. But tonight all she felt was gnawing worry. 

Sensing the worry emanating from her partner, Kamilah’s grasp on her hand tightened. Amy glanced at her love and smiled, but it was only a half hearted attempt. Kamilah knew that whatever was bothering Amy was best left to the girl to sort out. Amy had abilities Kamilah could not understand. Kamilah was often amazed at the strength in Amy. When she was mortal, she had been brazen, bold, unstoppably optimistic and she carried much of that over into her vampire life. But the young girl had also been subject to so much in her short life. Her gift gave her ages of memories and violence to deal with. Yes, Kamilah was sure Amy was more than strong enough to face anything. It was Kamilah herself that needed Amy. Kamilah was troubled by Amy’s dreams. They quite often turned out to be related to something serious, and with Rheya returned, there was no telling what this latest dream my pertain to. And with the training from Serafine, could it be possible that Amy now had the gift of foreknowledge. With the bloodkeeper lineage and a possible hint of blood from the tree of eternal life involved, there was no telling how Amy would be changed. But try as she might, Kamilah could think of nothing to say to reassure the woman she loved more than life itself.

Pulling into the underground parking, the car halted near the elevator door. Amy and KIamilah stepped out, and the car pulled away as soon as the door closed. They took two steps toward the elevators, when Amy felt some kind of warning, almost like a premonition. Without thinking she was reaching into her boot tops, pulling her weapons, just as a group of vampires rounded the corner coming from behind the elevators. Amy pulled what looked like small daggers, but with a flick of each hand, and a metallic clang, they extended to become a pair of short swords. Taking up a fighting stance, she saw that Kamilah already had her knives in each hand. The group of 20 vampires looked familiar, and Amy knew they had been the ones in her dream. During it, she had not been able to make out too many details about them, but they just felt familiar. Her heart leapt with fear, but there was no choice other than fighting.

Burying her fear, Amy braced herself, and acting as one with Kamilah, they both rushed the oncoming vampires. Just before she got to the first vampire, Amy spun left, her short sword lashing out, then spun right and two vampires fell headless to the ground before turning to ash. Kamilah struck one in the heart, turning him to ash, then spun on another sweeping in both her knives, sending his head flying.

Amy and Kamilah move in complete sync. Older, experienced vampire works well with the younger, less experienced but more powerful vampire she has trained. So in sync at their minds, that they movements match, and they hold off their attackers. Outnumbered doesn’t seem to mean much. Kamilah moves quickly, deftly killing vampires with her two knives, and Amy defends Kamilah’s right side, using her two short swords to send vampires and heads flying in all directions. Feet lash out, as both women jump, leap and twirl, their feet as much weapons as their knives and swords. Soon the attackers have dwindled to 6, when something moves in from the left. Amy sees the moment, she spies a vampire holding a sword, lunging at Kamilah. The sword and vampire are both familiar. Without thinking about it she vaults over Kamilah, and comes down atop the sword. Kamilah turns in time to see Amy sweep up both swords and scissor of his head. Turning, Amy sees the broad smile on the older, beautiful vampires face “Nice move Amy.” Before she can frame a reply, there is another rush of enemies, coming around the corner, another person rushes toward Kamilah, sword in hand.

Amy feels an iron grip on her left bicep, turning she gasps as her eyes find Rheya “No” she whispers “this can’t be” she turns back to Kamilah, the sight before her blurs, as if water moves across her vision and Amy screams as the Order soldier runs up behind Kamilah and in the next instant a sword explodes from the front of Kamilah’s chest “Kamiiiilllaaahh. Nooooooo” Amy tries to go toward her lover, but the iron grip holds her fast. The hand tightens on her arm and pulls her back as more order troops move in. Pulled back to lean against Rheya Amy cries in despair as Kamilah is swarmed under by order troops. She feels hair tickle her face. Rheya leans down whispering “There is nothing more you can do. Come Amy. More enemies are coming. We have to leave.” Amy shakes her head in denial, trying to pull away, to go to Kamilah, but a second hand grabs her right bicep, dragging her back “Amy no. I need you to come with me. You are my concern now.” Dragged back against her will, Amy watches helplessly as the bundle of order troops buck and heave. She hears Kamilah cry out in pain, many times. The sight and sound of it brings despair to Amy’s heart. A blur covers her vision again, something changes. Briefly the attackers clothing changes from white order uniforms, to various kinds of street clothing, but just as quickly it solidifies and then the order troops fly off her. She can see Kamilah, sword still coming from her chest, blood flowing from many wounds, and then another sword bursts out, just next to the first. Kamilah looks at Amy, eyes filled with love, pain, loss and sadness, and then she dissolves into Ash.

“Nooooooooo” Amy screams, fighting the hands that pull her back, but the ancient first vampire is far too powerful. Amy cannot break free as Rheya continues to say “Amy, there is nothing you can do. We need to leave now. We will make them pay. Come with me. Join me and make your enemies suffer.” STill fighting to break free, Amy’s vision darkens, dizziness assaults her and then all is black.

Amy sits up in bed with a gasp. Reaching out to her left, she is reassured to feel a body lying next to her “Oh my god. It was just a dream.” but then full wakefulness begins to come. The sheets covering her as not as soft as they should be. The body next to hear wearing cloth that Kamilah had never worn to bed. Hesitant, but unable to prevent herself, Amy turns her head to the person. Tears fill her eyes, and despair flows from her heart as she sees Rheya laying next to her, watching her with an inscrutable expression. “No. No. No. No” Amy shakes her head in denial “It can’t be. Not my Kamilah. No. No. No. Your promised me Kamilah. Your promised me I would never lose you” Amy screams to the ceiling.

Rheya reaches out and gently strokes Amy’s cheek. In a manner so alike to Kamiah, that it brings a sob bursting out of her. Looking at the ancient vampire through teary eyes, Amy is incapable of facing the truth, she shakes as grief takes hold of her body, every limb trembling as sob after sob escapes her mouth and she shakes her head, denying the truth she sees in the eyes of Rheya. There is sympathy on that face, and that sympathy wrings Amy’s heart even more. Finally Rheya speaks her voice steeped in power and authority, but tinged with sympathy “I am sorry my Amy. You did all you could, and I came to late. But together we will make our enemies pay. We will make them suffer and pay for taking your loved ones from you.”  
Amy stopped sobbing a second, looking at Rheya questioningly. If possible Rheya looked even more sympathetic “It pains me to tell you this. But the Order troops took your friends and your family as well.”  
“No” Amy gasped “No, it can’t be”  
“I am sorry Amy. We barely got away. I had to save you.”  
“But my family. My friends” her voice broke “My Kamilah”  
“I am sorry”  
“Nooooo. Noooooo. Nooooooo” Amy shrieked “I have lost everyone. I have lost my soul, my heart, my love. Everything.”  
“You have me Amy. You will always have me.” And Rheya pulled Amy closer. For a second Amy resisted, but the comfort offered by Rheya and the compulsion to lose herself in those arms was too much for her in this present state and she gave up. Rheya pulled Amy close, stroking her long black hair gently, and whispering “My Amy. You will always have me. We will be together and bring our enemies to their knees. Let out your grief my Amy, let it all out. I am here for you.”

Amy clung to Rheya, heard the whispered words and gave in, surrendering to the first Vampire, accepting the comfort from her arms. She clung to the first and wept in despair for all she had lost. Right now she believed that all she had was Rheya and she cried in despair over losing her Queen. The world was nothing without Kamilah, and Amy’s mind shied away from that thought, she gave herself to the darkness and let it cover her as she gave herself fully to despair.


	8. Rheya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy awakes in a strange place and only one person is recognizable. Rheya. What does the first Vampire want with her since she has already refused her. And how will Amy fight her, or continue living without the greatest love of her life.

Amy awoke. Looking around, she didn’t recognize the bed, the covers, the room. Confusion filled her, along with fear. Where was she? Fear came from some dim, fragmented memories of Kamilah. In her mind she had a vision of a sword erupting from her lovers chest. It felt so real, but surely it couldn’t be. Fear drove her and Amy sat bolt upright, looking left and right. She saw no one in bed with her, but then a somewhat familiar voice said “Its ok Amy. I am here.” Heart leaping with anxiety, Amy turned toward the sound and saw the figure sitting in a chair beside the bed. At first her heart jumped thinking it was Kamilah, but no, the voice was not the same. The hair was brown, but ombre at the tips. And then she saw the face, and gasped “Rheya?”  
“Yes” Rheya nodded slowly, sympathy covering her expression  
“But… Kamilah?”  
“I am sorry love” Rheya murmured softly, but confirming Amy’s worst fear  
“No...no.no” Amy shook her head in denial  
“I am afraid so. You never do believe me, at least not at first.”  
That stopped Amy. What did Rheya mean, about never believing her. How long had it been since. No, she could not even think about it. Glancing toward Rheya, a question in her red rimmed eyes. Seeing that question, Rheya nodded “We have been through this several times Amy. It has been a number of weeks since…”  
“No. Don’t say it” Amy held up her hand “I can’t…”  
“I know Amy” Rheya sighed deeply “but you have to accept it at some point.”  
“No I don’t. This could be a scam, a fake…” Even Amy thought that was a slim chance  
Rheya shook her head, but didn’t press too much “So you have said before Amy. I know you loved Kamilah. She was an amazing woman and I can see why you fell so hard for her. But the truth is….”  
“NO” Amy shouted “I will not believe it. I can’t.”  
Rheyas expression turned somewhat exasperated, she leaned forward, but before she could say anything Amy lifted an emperious hand “No. Do not say anything. I need to think. Leave me.”  
Rheya sat back blinking in surprise at the tone. Never, since becoming the first vampire had anyone taken such an imperious tone with her. But she recovered, smiled, nodded “Very well Amy. I will give you some time.” She walked slowly toward the large double doors of the bedroom. Before opening, she glanced back over her shoulder, “I will give you time Amy, but only so much of it. You will move on. You will get over it and you will join me and together we will bring the world to its knees.”

The door closed behind Rheya and Amy sat in bed alone grief threatening to overwhelm her. She did not fully believe Rheya about how long she had been here, but there were a few vague memories of waking up, hearing her say what happened to Kamilah and then falling into darkness and despair. But surely it could not be weeks. Surely she would be aware of that much time passing, but her memories were so fuzzy, so blurred. Even the memory of the fight in the parking garage was blurry and confusing. At one moment she was sure she remembered fighting vampires, and then the attackers were Order soldiers. She just could not sort it out in her mind. The strongest image though, was of Kamilah, on her knees. One sword through her back and coming out of her chest, and then a second one right next to it. She saw the look in Kamilah’s eyes, and once again felt the grief, raw and fresh. Amy felt lost in the world. She had, apparently, lost everything. Kamilah had been pretty much all of her life since she had started work for Adrian, and even more since she had awoken as a vampire. From that point on, Kamilah had always been there. Now she would never awaken to see the beautiful vampire lying beside her. She would never feel the hand upon her skin, the soft, soft lips on her own, or feel her passion as they made love. Tears flowed from her eyes, despair built up and with a wail, Amy flung herself back down upon the bed, giving herself over, once again, to the overwhelming grief.

An unknown time later Amy jumps as the doors to the bed chamber bang against the walls and Rheya storms in. Her eyes sparkle and power surrounds her like an aura. Coming to the foot of the bed, she slashes her hand down for emphasis “Enough Amy. You will move on. Come with me.” She turns, walking away, stopping near the door, glancing over her shoulder at Amy, who still lay on the bed, staring in shock “I said come with me Amy. NOW” Amy jumped again, fear filling her. Rheya was so powerful and Amy was all alone here, but did she really care that much. Life was over as far as she was concerned. Rheya gazed at her, then smiled grimly “You are mistaken if you think you have a choice. You will join me. You will take your place by my side. I am all you have left now Amy. You will come.”

Amy felt the compulsion again, the feeling that she had to do as ordered. Rheyas voice was laced with that compulsion and with power, so much so, it penetrated the layers of grief. Still Amy didn’t feel like moving and sat obstinately on the bed, shaking her head to decline. Rheya almost grinned at her disobedience “You really think you have a choice in this?” In a flash Rheya was beside the bed, leaning over Amy. It actually felt like she towered over Amy, so strong was her presence. Amy shrank back, but Rheya was too fast, her hand grabbing Amy’s jaw, stopping her retreat and she moved her face in close, lips less than an inch apart “You will learn to obey me Amy. One way or another.”  
“I...I don’t want to”  
“Do not test me Amy” and anger rolled from her voice, pulsating in waves from her being. Amy shrank back, fear in her eyes. Seeing that Rheya sighed, and in a gentler voice “I am just trying to get you to accept your losses and move on” she gently stroked Amy’s cheek “I need you Amy. I want to see you smile, and I want you by my side. Please come with me.”

This time it actually felt like a request and Amy felt a bit of shame for making Rheya angry and then making her feel bad. She shook her head. Why was she feeling that? Where was this sympathy for Rheya coming from, but all of a sudden, Amy had an almost overwhelming desire to appease Rheya and to do anything that might make the eldest vampire feel better. Amy felt shame at the idea she was the cause of any pain in Rheya, and slowly she nodded, carefully getting out of bed, as Rheya stepped back to give her room. Once Amy stood up, Rheya nodded, extended her arm for Amy put place her hand upon and said “Now my sweet. Come with me.”

Unable to help herself, Amy walked beside Rheya, for the first time seeing the richly appointed furnishings in the huge bedchamber. The double doors were massive, and well made. Passing through, they entered a hall carpeted in rich red, beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling, shedding a warm light. At the far end, stood another set of double doors, and in minutes, they opened as Rheya approached.

The two vampires stepped into a large room, a dais at the far end, and upon that dais sat a stupendous throne. Rheya halted for a long second, allowing Amy time to look around. She recognized the throne room from her visions. The room was filled with vampires. Male and female, all bowed in reverence toward Rheya. Without saying anything Rheya continued onward, pulling Amy along in her wake. Reaching the throne, Rheya smiled to Amy, placed a hand upon Amy’s hand that held her arm, indicating Amy should release. Doing as bidden, Amy released her hold, wondering what was going on. She was startled to feel Rheyas hand slide into her own, and then Rheya turned and sat gracefully upon the throne, pulling Amy gently to her left side. Amy stood silently, again wondering.

After a long silent moment, Rheya finally spoke “You may rise” she said the to vampires in the room and as one they stood tall. A hushed murmur filled the room as all eyes turned on Amy. Rheya allowed the anticipation to increase for a second, then said “Meet Amy, my High Priestess.” Startled, Amy turned to Rheya to deny it, but the first glanced at her through narrowed eyes, almost daring her to be defiant. Amy swallowed the words, and for some reason had no desire to deny what her Mistress had just said. Her eyes narrowed. Where had that thought come from? The attending vampires applauded. Rheya allowed it to continue for a moment then “You will obey her as you would me. The only one above my High Priestess is myself. Together” and Rheya squeezed the hand she held. Amy looked down at her, and Rheya smiled, almost lovingly up at her. Amy actually felt her heart flutter at that smile. Part of her wanted, no needed to please Rheya. The first turned back to the vampires in the court completing her sentence “we will bring the world to its knees, beginning with Greece.”

A hush filled the room, but it was short lived as cheering broke out. Vampires surged forward calling Rheya’s name. Many followed that with chanting for Amy as High Priestess. The noise flowed over Amy. Rheya continued to hold her hand and Amy found herself enjoying the contact and the sound of her name being chanted. Deep within a small voice reminded her that she was not power hungry, but it was faint and shouted down by the masses.

Rheya raised her hand and silence fell. With a grin she spoke in a regal tone “Now it is time to feed. Bring in the cattle.”  
The double doors opened with a thud and a large group of humans were herded in. They were raggedly dressed, obviously having been captured and not treated too well. Amy’s stomach clenched in hunger. She could smell the captives were unwashed, but the smell of their had her mouth watering. There was one human for each vampire, but two for Rheya. She took her two captives, and as one was brought forward forAmy, Rheya turned to her “Feed my Amy.” Despite her hunger, Amy hesitated, for she found some small part of her still wanted to resist. Rheyas eyes narrowed, and anger filled them, while she gazed steadily and in a quiet voice, laced with compulsion she said “Feed.” Amy fought, but the compulsion was too strong, particularly in her weakened, hungry state. Without thinking she stepped forward, took hold of the human woman, tilted her head to the side and sank her fangs into the woman's neck. Sweet blood flowed over her tongue. Withdrawing her fangs, Amy sucked the life giving blood, gasping at the strength that filled her. She drank and drank, but deep inside there was that quiet voice telling her to stop. Finally she listened to it and after a moment pulled back with a gasp.

Rheya had finished her two off, and was looking in perplexity at Amy “You have not finished her.”  
“Why would I?” shrugged Amy  
“You mean you have never tasted the ecstasy of finishing your meal off by draining their blood” Rheya looked at her aghast at the thought  
“I do not see why I would want to do that”  
“They are food Amy. Only here to keep us strong.”  
“They are human beings, what we once were. They are living, breathing self conscious people and there is no need to kill them. We can co-exist with them.”  
Rheyas eyes narrowed “Finish her off Amy.”  
Amy staggered at the feel of the compulsion, wavered and moved an inch, but then stopped. The woman she had been feeding on, looked weak, but relieved to be alive, and threw a grateful look at Amy. Rheya’s anger, however, grew and Amy could feel it. Her heart lurched at the disappointment she felt flowing from her new Mistress. Without moving Rheya spoke again “Finish her off Amy.”  
“No” Amy shook her head, “you can make me do many things Mistress, but at my core, I will remain who I am.”  
“Finish her”  
“No”  
“Do not test me Amy and do not defy me”

Realising this might be something she could not win, Amy’s mind raced for another idea. She had no desire to kill the woman, but also figured she would have to give Rheya something too. Defying Rheya was not the secret to long life, and it might reduce her power among the other vampires, something she knew Rheya would have to avoid at all costs. Amy walked a tightrope right now, and finally through shivering lips said “Does it not make more sense to leave some alive. We need the breeding stock.”  
Rheya gazed at her long and hard, her eyes never leaving Amy’s and then after a minute she surprisingly burst out laughing. She threw her head back, laughing in glee, clapping her hands “Oh my Amy. You are such a wise High Priestess. Of course we should keep some alive” and with a motion two vampires walked over to drag away the woman Amy fed on, as well as a couple of others that still survived. At another motion, the throne room emptied of vampires. Once all were gone, Rheya stepped forward, grabbed Amy’s hand and pulled her toward the doors. Minutes later they entered the bedchamber in which Amy had awoken. The door closed, Amy felt a hand around her neck and then she was flying through the air.

Amy cried out, gasping in pain as she struck the far wall, sliding to the ground. She was picking herself up, but in a flash Rheya was there, a hand at her throat, lifting Amy up and pushing her back against the wall. Fangs bared, an angry light in her eyes Rheya hissed “Do not ever defy me in public again Amy. You may think you can get away with defiance, but I will not allow you to undermine my authority. I will break you Amy. You will be mine. You think now that you can live as you have, but your previous life is over. You are my High Priestess. My Vampire. My servant. You will bow to my will.”

Fear slammed into Amy and she realised just how close she had come to undermining Rheya and no longer being useful to her. But there was still that quiet, defiant voice that murmured to her, egging her on to further rebellion. After all without Kamilah what was there left in life. Why should she continue. The thought of Kamilah being gone actually gave her some strength, along with the huge lump of grief. The light of fear faded from Amy’s eyes, and she shrugged, almost nonchalantly “Go ahead Rheya. Kill me now. There is nothing left for me anyway.”

Rheya snarled and Amy saw that she had successfully called a bluff, but that might not happen much longer. Still Rheya held her against the wall by the throat, refusing to back down, but she also knew she was beaten for now. With another snarl, Rheya moved and threw Amy across the room, slamming her into the far wall. Before Amy could get even half way up Rheya was on top her “You have won this round my dear Amy. But while you think you have nothing left in life, do not forget that you have me, and I have you. You are and will be mine. You will live for me. Breaking you is only a matter of time.”

Time passed. Amy lost track of how much, but she was sure it was at least a couple of weeks. All she knew was that each day they awoke in Rheya’s bed, they would dress and make their way to the throne room. Amy had even grown accustomed to the outfit Rheya decreed would be for her High Priestess. Actually it was little more than an embellished bra and white skirt with side splits, but she was obliged to wear it, to keep Rheya content. Each day was spent in the throne room, where Rheya plotted her next moves, much of it relying upon the people she was turning into vampires each day. Amy was fuzzy on the details, being lost in a fog of despair. They fed each day, Amy quickly realised she was given the same human each and every day. Each day the human seemed weaker, probably had not been fed well, and so each day Amy had to drink less just to keep her alive. Soon hunger gnawed at her. Amy’s stomach cramped with it and she weakened more and more, the fog in her brain growing denser with time.

One day Amy awoke, blinking to clear her blurry vision. She was beyond exhausted, and weak from hunger. For days her sleep had been troubled, filled with dreams of Kamilah. Each time she awoke with longing and deep despair at finding her love gone. In this last dream, Kamilah had called out to her, asking her to come back to her and not to leave her. Grief filled Amy, taking her breath away. Looking to her right, she saw Rheya sitting staring contemplatively, tapping a finger against her chin. Rheya saw Amy wake and said “I wonder just how far your compassion will extend?”  
“What do you mean Mistress.” Amy had also grown accustomed to the mode of address Rheya preferred.  
“I just wonder how long you will be lenient upon your food.” and Rheya hopped out of bed, snapping her fingers “come with me.”  
A bit more slowly Amy clambered out, got dressed and moved to the foot of the bed. Rheya took her by the hand and pulled her out of the bedchamber, along the hallway and into the throne room. Stepping inside Amy saw a group of humans huddled in the middle of the room. She froze recognizing the white of Order uniforms. Rheya pulled Amy toward the throne, turning her to look upon the soldiers, leaning in she whispered in Amy’s ear, the breath tickling Amy “I wonder my Amy. Will your compassion extend to those that took your friends, your family and your love from you.” Amy started, and Rheya took firm hold of her chin, directing her gaze to the man in front of the group “Don’t you recognize the man that killed your Kamilah.”

A short gasp escaped Amy. She froze, her limbs trembling as rage grew from within. A rage she could hardly contain flowed up from deep inside. She tried to hold it back, to be herself, but the rage at seeing that man standing behind Kamilah, pushing the sword through her back just made her anger so much stronger. A growl escaped her mouth, her fangs extended, but still she fought it. 

Rheya looked on, amusement on her features, watching Amy struggle. She chuckled gently “Are you really going to be compassionate with this group?” Still Amy struggled and in a flash Rheya stood behind Kamilahs killer. She grabbed him by the neck and snarled “Tell her what you told me. Tell her how you feel about killing.”   
The man gasped, seemingly in pain, but snarled and a look of pride swept across his face “I did humanity a service. I am proud of killing the Blood Queen and proud that my men took out Raines and the others. But the best bit was seeing that bitch Kamilah turn to ash at my hands.”

Amy stiffened more, righteous rage flared within. She gave up the fight, threw her head back, facing the ceiling and gave forth an animalistic scream. So loud was her scream, the windows cracked, the room shook with power. She screamed again, then brought her gaze down the order soldiers, eyes glowing white with power. With another scream she raced across the floor. In a flash she was amongst them, screaming and tearing them apart by her hands. Within seconds the five men were shredded, blood spraying the room, then Amy spun on the last man. The man who had killed Kamilah. She screamed at him, grabbing him by the neck, lifting up the threw him down on the floor. Straddling either side of him Amy reached down, grabbed him painfully by the shoulders, whipped him up, spun around and threw him across the room to slam against the wall. She ran after him and was upon him before he even hit the floor. With a snarl she grabbed him by the throat, lifted him up, slamming his back to the wall, she reared in, fangs bared and sunk them into his neck. Blood filled her mouth, ran down her throat. Life and strength filled her limbs, the ecstatic pleasure of feeding filled her and she sucked harder and harder, draining more and more. She gasped as pleasure filled every nerve. In her mind's eye light filled her body, light flowed from his neck, down her throat. It sparkled and the pleasure grew and grew and with a flare of light it her entire body trembled with the pleasure and the man slumped, life leaving him. Taking that life, filled Amy with so much strength, power and energy. Light filled her up and the core of her power ballooned outward filling her up from deep within.

A long minute later, Amy finally came back to herself, the glow from her eyes fading. She glanced down, regret starting to come from within as she realized what had occurred. Looking down at the empty, lifeless body Amy whispered “What have I done?” She started as a presence came up behind her, warm hands wrapped around her waist, soft lips touched her neck and a husky voice spoke softly, “You have done what you had to do”  
“But I have betrayed myself and my love and with Kamilah gone I have nothing left.”  
“You have me Amy and now you are ready.”   
Amy turned her head to see Rheya, eyes alight with lust and more and trembling she whispered “Ready for what?”  
“For me”  
And Rheya spun her around, wrapped her arms around her, leaned forward and their lips crushed together. The power that flowed within Amy responded to the power in Rheya and the kiss was electric. Electricity surged from Rheya, flowing along every single nerve in Amy and she gasped in a deep lungful of air from Rheya as pleasure inundated her with just that kiss. Rheya held her tightly, Amy slid her hands around Rheya and gave herself over to the kiss, losing herself in endless pleasure Rheya promised her.

After many long minutes Rheya pulled back. She looked smug at seeing how Amy had responded to her kiss. Leaning in she licked the remaining order soldiers blood from Amy’s chin, and kissed her once more, tenderly. Amy gasped at the pleasure of the touch, looking in wonder, as Rheya spoke in a soft voice, “You are mine Amy, but I will hear you say.”   
Compulsion laced Rheya’s voice and in her current state Amy had no way to defy her. She had been weakened by extreme hunger, Rheya had awoken her hatred and got her to satiate her unger and now she was lost in the mixture of pleasure from killing and then feeling lust for Rheya. And with Kamilah gone, did she really have anything left. Rheya caressed her cheek, her eyes lit from within as she gazed at Amy. Looking into them, Amy could almost fool herself into believing that Rheya loved her. There was nothing more left to fight. Amy had lost everything. She had lost her friends, her family, her deepest love, and now she had lost herself in killing a human. She was worse than the order, worse than Gaius, she was vile.  
“I have nothing. I am nothing” she whispered hoarsely  
“You have me and you will be everything in my new world. Together we will build a paradise for our kind. You have me Amy, and I have you.” Rheya leaned forward, tenderly kissing Amy, her lips the softest Amy had ever felt. Amy nodded, leaning into it, and then Rheya pulled back “I would hear you say it my love.”  
Looking into the eyes, Amy saw so much pain, so much love and her heart shuddered at the thought of her causing pain. Giving up everything, she sank to her knees, head bowed “I am yours my Mistress.”  
Rheya’s exultation could be felt, so strong was it, and Amy almost shuddered at the feeling, but she was lost to all. Her head bowed she stared at Rheyas feet and whispered again “I am yours.” She felt a gentle finger beneath her chin, lifting her up, her gaze moving up the length of the beautiful first vampire, to look upon the beautiful smiling face. Rheya smiled benignly, then leaned in, caressing Amy’s cheek with one hand, she lovingly, tenderly kissed Amy, smiling into the kiss “Yes my love you are mine.” and Rheya kissed her again, more deeply than before. This time Amy surrendered to it, surrendered to her. She gave herself over to Rheya.


	9. High Priestess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Amy fare if she surrenders to the will of the First. What had Rheya planned, and how will it involve Amy

In the throne room of Rheya’s newly established kingdom, Amy kneels upon the floor, her face upward, while Rheya caresses her cheek and kisses her deeply. Amy has just given herself to the first vampire and she is losing herself in the feeling of the firsts lips upon her own.

Rheya slides a hand around the back of Amy’s neck, kissing her with even more passion. The darkness within Amy responds, sweeping upward. It is warm, dark, comforting even and oh so very seductive. Amy opens her mouth, and Rheya’s tongue snakes into her mouth, eagerly circling inside and Amy gasps, leaning forward and upward, her hands grasping at Rheya’s waist.

Rheya pulls back, and Amy gasps in lungfuls of air. The first smiles seductively down upon Amy, then tilts her head, moving hair aside, exposing her neck “Drink from my Amy. Become mine completely.” Amy can see the vein in her neck, the smell of Rheya almost overpowering, but still there is hesitation. Seeing that Rheya smiles again, lifts her own hand, sharp nail to the flesh of her neck and she scratches deeply. A red line follows that scratch, blood flowing up onto the skin. Amy inhales deeply, the smell of that blood pulling her inward and with no more hesitation, her lips cover the cut area, on Rheya’s neck, her tongue snakes out, licking the blood “Mmmmm” Amy moans, her fangs extend, piercing the skin, then retract, as her lips latch down upon the neck, sucking the blood of the first vampire into her eager mouth. 

The blood of the first is like nothing she has ever tasted. Since becoming a vampire, Amy has learned to give in to her senses and enjoy the taste and feel of human blood filling her with life. But the blood of the first fills her with power, with energy. A dark energy thrums along Amy’s nerves, mingling with the power she has kept contained. Windows open in her mind, she can see so much more. So much power and energy surround Rheya and flow into her as she drinks and she feels connected to the first. The feeling of connection she had felt with Kamilah when she was branded, was intimate, but this connection now, is so much more than that. She senses the life of the First, the energy, the power and the possibility of giving in to all the darkness, of becoming one. Another gulp of blood and Amy surrenders her last concern, standing up, she pulls Rheya close, feeling her body pressed up against her own and the drinks.

“Enough my Amy” and immediately Amy pulls her mouth away, gasping at the power flowing in her veins. Rheya gazes at her “Now you understand”  
“Yes, I do. You are everything my Mistress”  
“Together we will be everything. Together we will build a paradise” smiled Rheya “together you and I can accomplish anything.” And with passion lighting her eyes, Rheya pulled Amy even closer, and surged forward, kissing her aggressively, tasting her own blood upon Amy’s lips. The blood still on Amy’s lips intensifies their connection. Amy can feel the pleasure she is giving Rheya and she loses track of where here feelings leave off and Rheya’s begins. It becomes an endless circle. Amy feels her own pleasure, and Rheya’s and feeling the pleasure she gives Rheya enhances her own. Her mind is awash in carnal desire and she can hold back no more, her feverish hands pull of Rheya’s dress in one motion, and then begin to explore the naked curves of Rheya’s body. Rheya hums in pleasure at the feverish contact from Amy.

Amy pushes Rheya backward and a couple of steps later the throne hits the back of Rheyas legs and she sits upon it, while Amy hovers above her, their lips mashed together, breath coming in heavy gasps as their hands explore each others bodies. Rheya pulls away slightly, takes hold of Amy’s face, tilts her head and slowly moves towards Amy’s neck. Amy tilts more, making her neck more accessible and seconds later, her knees buckle at the jolt of pleasure from Rheya’s fangs sinking into her neck. Amy moans and gasps at the feeling, the electrical jolt of pleasure flowing through her body. And then with a growl, she extends her own fangs and sinks them back into Rheya’s neck. Together the two women feed upon each other, their cyclical connection of carnal pleasure multiplied 100 fold. They suck blood from one another, and what Rheya feels, Amy feels, as does Rheya. It only enhances the entire process and their connection is complete. So powerful is the pleasure, heat and moisture flow within Amy and the joint feeding brings her to orgasm.

A minute later, Amy removes her mouth, runs her tongue along a fang cutting it, then leans in licking the puncture marks upon Rheya’s neck, healing the cuts with her own blood. “Mmmm nice move my Amy” as Rheya does the same for her. They kiss once more, lips moving together, tongues fencing with each other. Amy runs her hands over Rheya’s breasts, tweaking the nipples, moving downward until she has a hand on each of Rheya’s knees. She pulls back from kissing the first, and grinning hungrily she lowers herself to her knees, pushes Rheya’s legs apart and with a hungry growl surges forward to slip her tongue deep inside the first, tasting the woman she has just given herself to completely.

Hours later Amy sits between Rheya’s legs, resting her head upon her Mistress’s lap, while Rheya gently stroked her hair. Never had she given and received so many orgasms. Rheya’s hunger and stamina was endless. There had been nothing tender, or perhaps loving about it. It had been all lust and passion. But still Amy felt drawn to Rheya. Not in the way she had been drawn to Kamilah. Amy swallowed back the lump in her throat caused by the thought of her love. She had not meant to think of her. Kamilah was gone and now Amy had nothing but Rheya and revenge. Part of her felt dirty, used, angry, but also so powerful. So much energy flooded Amy’s body right now, almost making it impossible for her to think coherently. She was lost in her rage at Kamilah being taken from her.

An unknown time later Rheya stirred and Amy sat up, looking expectantly at her, waiting for what her Mistress wanted. With a smile, Rheya leaned down and kissed Amy softly on the lips, then said “Come with me.” Amy stood up and followed Rheya out of the throne room. They turned left, heading in the opposite direction of their bed chamber. Amy paused, when had she started thinking of it is theirs? Rheya walked with purpose so Amy had to hurry to catch up.

At the end of this corridor was another room, opening up to a balcony. Amy slowed in hesitation, seeing the balcony was bathed in sunlight, but Rheya continued without hesitation. Upon reaching the balcony she turned to Amy, reaching out her hand “Come to me Amy.”

Amy halts at the edge of sunlight, her eyes squinting through the brightness. Fear slams into her. What is Rheya doing? Is she wanting you dead after everything? Have you failed her? And then another thought slips in. Do you really want to live? After all what is life without your friends and Kailah?

Rheya maintains eye contact, her hand still outstretched. Again, in a quiet voice “Come to me Amy.” But despite a part of you wanting to give up and die, you are afraid. Will it hurt to die by sunlight. Amy has seen the pain even the briefest touch of sun can give a vampire. Is she really ready to die, she wonders. Amy scans Rheya’s face, but there is no hint of her intentions. Her face is bland, but her eyes are alight with something, but Amy has no idea what.   
“Come to me Amy” Rheya’s eyes narrow at Amy’s hesitation.  
With a deep breath, Amy takes one step, then another, reaching out blindly for Rheya’s hand. Comforting warmth touches Amy’s hand as Rheya’s fingers enclose around hers, and she pulls Amy to her. Sheltering in the comforting feel of Rheya’s arms, Amy finally opens her eyes to see the sunlit building.

“How….What... How?”  
Rheya chuckles at Amy’s stammering “Ah my Amy. You have so much to learn.”  
“Is this because of you?”  
“No, Yes and no.”  
“That is not an answer Rheya”, using her real name feels odd to Amy now, but she looks directly into the firsts eyes, demanding an answer. Rheya grins at that, pulling Amy closer to her body, then finally answers “You are brave, impulsive and bold my Amy. I like that about you, but do not forget who you are.” Amy holds her gaze for a moment, then casts her eyes downward “I am sorry. I just don’t understand”

Rheya places a tender finger beneath Amy’s chin, lifting her face up to see her eyes “It is of no matter now. But to answer your question. This would always have been possible for you, drinking from me simply hastened it. You would have eventually learned the full potential of your ancient power. Drinking from me awoke that power, increased our connection. Drinking from each other multiplied that connection and now we are more closely linked than ever.”  
“So I will be able to walk in sunlight?”  
“That and more Amy” Rheya turned to look out over the wall, she placed a hand either side of Amy’s head, turning her “look out Amy. What do you see.”  
Amy looked out and gasped. Below her was a city rebuilt. You could see the signs of age, of previous ruin and of all the work that had been done to bring it back “Wow. Was this….?”  
“Mydiea” finished Rheya  
Amy nodded, finding words difficult  
“Yes. I am re-establishing my ancient Kingdom, starting with where it once stood. From here we will rule the world.”  
Amy stood in amazement at what had changed. Just a short while ago this had been an Order owned island, their headquarters that had been destroyed by the leader, the one who had betrayed Rheya and had lived a life of revenge. Now the original palace had been restored, and much of the city rebuilt. Vampires could evidently work fast when motivated.

Looking out over the city Amy wondered what would come next. What would become of the world? What did Rheya really want. As she examined the buildings, a memory returned to her. It was a memory of a vision she’d had of Rheya, one from before her lust for power, when she wanted to rule in peace. Turning back to her Mistress Amy reached up and caressed the cheek of the beautiful ruler “What happened to your Mistress?”

Caught off guard, Rheya glanced at Amy sharply, but saw only honest curiosity in her gaze “What do you mean Amy?”  
“I remember a vision I had of you once, a while back. It was just after you had taken the throne. You wanted a peaceful rule. But now you want power.” Amy cringed at the feeling of anger her words seemed to conjure in Rheya and she started to stammer an apology. Rheya waved that away “It is of no importance now. I will answer this question, but you will never ask it again. Do you understand?”  
“Ye...Yes”  
“You are right. I did want to rule in peace. Back then I had love in my life. Yes the power of the tree did overwhelm me at first, but then I found balance and wanted peace and love. But circumstances did not permit that. People and betrayal taught me that I could not trust anyone and the only way to rule was with power and fear. I will not make the same mistakes again. Even when I realised I needed to exercise my power, I still made the mistake of being trusting.”Rheya looked deep into Amy’s eyes “I will not make those errors again, they caused my downfall. I will trust no one and I will not rely upon just two children. I will create an army of them.”

Looking deeply into powerful brown eyes Amy saw a woman filled with pain, remorse and also a driving need for revenge, mixed with a lust for power. This was not the woman from that vision of weeks ago. This was a woman who would not stop until she had what she wanted. Amy turned away, looking out over the city and the world beyond. What would happen now. What was Rheya planning. Gathering her courage, Amy asked “What are you planning Mistress.”  
“Are you ready to know” Rheya pulled Amy’s gaze back into her eyes “you have given yourself to me, but only together can this happen. Are you ready to be completely mine. Now and forever.”  
Looking long into those eyes, Amy searched for her answer. In some ways the eyes reminded her of Kamilah. They were deep, deep brown, filled with knowledge and emotions of ages, but without the tenderness Amy had seen in her Queen’s eyes. But Kamilah was gone and Rheya was the only thing Amy had left, her only connection to Kamilah, albeit it distant and through some evil people. With a deep breath Amy nodded “Yes my Mistress. I am ready. I am yours.”  
“Good, I am glad to hear that. With your help we will rule, beginning with Greece. I have been busy these last few weeks creating vampires. When ready they will infiltrate every city and town in Greece. Together we will be able to relay our instructions and always be able to maintain control.”  
“How?”  
“I have control over them through the link of our blood, as their creator and because I have the power of the tree. You my dear have your bloodkeeper ability, which is as ancient as mine. You can slip inside their minds, nothing is hidden from you. No thought, no impulse, everything in their minds becomes memory and is visible to you. But you are so much more than that. Your power can do so much more, and it has no restriction of distance. Every vampire in the world is within your range” Rheya caressed Amy’s cheek smiling at her “working together we can reach every vampire in the world and bring them to our side. We will rise up and be the dominant power in the world.”

Hours later Amy lay awake in Rheya’s arms. After hearing of the plan, Rheya had taken her to bed and they had spent hours pleasuring one another. Now her Mistress was a sleep, holding Amy close. The darkness within Amy was slowly wrapping itself around her, protecting her from being hurt again, and she pulled it closer like a blanket. Just like she pulled Rheya’s arms closer around her, snuggling her back up against her Mistress’s body. Giving the darkness reign, Amy sighed and drifted off to sleep.

That night she dreamed. It was a vision, but then clarified to become a memory. A memory with pain attached to it. A recent memory of Kamilah being with her. For the briefest of seconds Amy felt another presence, Serafine, but it vanished before she could focus on it. In that memory she saw Kamilah pleasuring her, and she felt what Kamilah felt. She felt the joy Kamilah experienced in being with Amy and it wrenched her heart. The memory moved on to Kamilah holding Amy, much the way Rheya was now. The 2000 year old egyptian vampire gazed lovingly upon the Amy in the bed and the Amy viewing this memory cried with loss. Later, Kamilah stepped out of bed, into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face, then looked into the mirror. Dreaming Amy gasped as Kamilah’s beautiful brown eyes gazed directly at her. And then the memory of Kamilah spoke to the mirror “Amy my love. Do not give yourself over. Please come back to me.”

Amy gasped, struggling to awaken, but she could not shake the memory, she was trapped looking into the loving eyes of Kamilah. The brown eyes that had once held all the life in the world. The brown that had always filled Amy with so much energy and strength. She could not pull away from them and Kamilah spoke again “Come back to me Amy. Remember I am your Queen.”  
“You were” Amy managed to say “but you are gone.”  
“No Amy. I am yours. I will always be.”  
“Oh Kamilah I so wish that were true, but I saw you die. I have lost you. I have nothing.”  
“No Amy. I am yours. Remember our connection. We were fated to be together, I felt that the moment I gave you my brand. The connection from that showed me we were always to be together.”  
“But you are gone Kamilah. I grieved for you. I could not live without you. Now all I have is Rheya and revenge.”  
Kamilah reached out and Amy gasped as she felt the soft hand upon her face, but she shook it off. Then once again Amy felt another presence, seemingly heard the voice of Serafine “Keep her focused on the memory of love Kamilah” but then the voice was gone. Kamilah smiled into the mirror, her eyes filled with so much love it wrenched Amy’s heart. Amy shook her head, trying to break from the memory, but Kamilah somehow continued to stroke her face “I love you my Amy. Never ever forget that. I love you and will never give up on you. I don’t want you out of selfishness and lust for power. I want to show you the world, to show you everything and see the world through your love. Please Amy, hold onto that.”  
And with a startled gasp Amy sat up in bed, covered in sweat, tears streaking from her eyes, her heart breaking again, sobs threatening to break free.

Amy jumped as she felt a hand upon her shoulder. Turning her heart broke again to see it did not belong to Kamilah. Then her eyes found Rheya and everything rushed back in. Kamilah being dead and how all Amy had left was revenge. She took in a deep breath as Rheya said “What is it my Amy?”  
“Just a dream” Amy tried to sound convincing “an old memory perhaps. It wasn’t mine” she shook her head, then forced a smile “It is of no matter my Mistress. Just a disturbing memory that took me by surprise” Rheya looked long at Amy, then nodded, applying pressure to her shoulder, pulling her back down into her arms and murmuring “Sleep my Amy. Tomorrow we begin training.”

For the next week almost every minute of each day was spent sitting opposite Rheya, allowing her into her mind and extending her own talent to reach into the memories of every vampire near and far. Rheya pushed her abilities, pushed her to learn more. Amy drew upon the skills taught by Serafine and quickly learned how to reach into the mind of any vampire. Each day they would arise, go to the thone room where she and Rheya would brand newly turned vampires, then feed. Amy noticed that she was not given the same human as before, but a different one. Evidently she had earned something from Rheya, and the very first time there had been a second of hesitation, but then with fangs extended Amy had launched herself at the human, sank her fangs in and drained her dry, exulting in the feeling of power from draining the life from a person.

At the end of the week Rheya sat opposite Amy, holding her hands and the look in her eyes was almost loving, or so Amy thought. She shrugged that aside. It was unimportant, just as it was unimportant that every night she had dreamt of Kamilah. All that mattered now was extending her will throughout the world. Seeing a look of determination Rheya nodded then “Are you ready Amy.”  
“Yes Mistress.”  
“Good. Let us begin. Open your mind to me.”  
Amy allowed Rheya inside her mind. It was an interesting experience, sharing her existence with another mind and such a powerful mind it was. Letting her defences down Amy blended her ability with Rheya’s and then extended outward, targeting the vampires in Greece. Together her and Rheya implanted their instructions in the minds of the newly turned and very loyal vampires.

Something changed the next morning. Upon entering the throne room Amy noticed a large monitor upon the wall opposite the throne. Walking beside her Mistress with Rheya’s hand upon her arm she said nothing until her MIstress was seated upon the throne. Moving to her left side, she could not contain herself. This was the first evidence of technology that Amy had seen. Oh she knew Rheya had learned all about it and was utilizing it, but until now it had not been visible. Gesturing to the monitor Amy spoke quietly “Why the monitor Mistress?”  
“I thought it would be beneficial to see the results of our work yesterday.” Rheya’s grin was almost wolfish.

With a gesture the monitor sprang to life showing a breaking news bulletin. The rest of the world was now aware that a hostile force had taken Greece. Exactly what that force was they had no idea, but the reports stated that some force, of enhanced individuals had infiltrated every city and town in Greece and now controlled it. Ordinary people in Greece were terrified to be on the streets, or had been corralled in camps.

“Excellent” Rheya clapped her hands “they have no idea what they are up against and they will sit there and argue about what to do and give us time for our next move.”  
“What is our next move Mistress?”  
“Turmoil in the rest of the world” Rheya grinned “beginning now.” she got up from the throne lowered herself gracefully to a sitting position on the floor, holding out her hands “Come Amy. It is time to bend every vampire to our will.”

Amy groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. Now the contact with Rheya was over, she was full of exhaustion. Reaching out to every vampire in the world was taxing. Implanting instructions and bending them to their dual will was even more exhausting. Rheya moved back to the throne and Amy slowly stood, stretching her tired limbs.   
“You did well my Amy” Rheya smiled benevolently “and now it is time to announce to the world who I am. But first you will have to replenish your strength” and with a gesture the doors to the throne room opened and a young woman was brought in. With a hungry growl Amy never hesitated and launched herself at the woman, sinking her fangs into her neck.

Licking the blood from the edges of her mouth, Amy let the body slide to the floor, then turned to Rheya “What do you wish Mistress?”  
“The next phase of my dominion will begin. We will spread chaos throughout the rest of the world, first by hacking into all media channels and announcing our presence and our intention to rule. And shortly after the instructions we implanted into all vampires will take effect. They will rise up and start the chaos. That will give us time to begin our campaign of terror.”  
Amy bowed to Rheya “As you wish my Mistress. I will do anything you need and lay the world at your feet. All will come to worship you.”  
“Ah my Amy. You make me happy. I am glad we are one.”

Minutes later a camera was brought into the throne room. It pointed toward Rheya sitting upon the throne and Amy standing to her side. The vampire running it gave a countdown and then the light turned green showing it was filming. They paused for a second, for dramatic effect, while Rheya sat regally upon her throne, holding Amy’s hand. Then Amy stepped forward, but ensured not to block the view of Rheya and she addressed the world “Humans. By now you will all have heard what occurred in Greece. Now I will give you details. My Mistress, the goddess Rheya” Amy gestured to her Mistress “has decided to share her wisdom and greatness with the world. Some of you have known for many years that our kind exist. Some of you have worked with us, keeping our secret, working with our shadow kingdoms as they have become known. Well today we come out of the shadows. Today the hunters emerge and you become our prey.” Amy extended her fangs, her eyes turning red, but tinged with a white glow, as she allowed her power to be shown “Yesterday our great work began with Greece. It will continue with the rest of the world. Today the world will know. Vampires are real. We exist and no longer will we roam the shadows and darkness of mankind's imagination, but we will rule. My Mistress Rheya, the first vampire, The goddess of blood will rule this world, and you will be our prey. We will create a paradise for vampires. You have no choice but to surrender. You cannot win against our power.” and two humans were brought into the filming range. One of them, Amy grabbed, turning her around to face the camera, she slowly tilted her head, pulled hair aside and sank her fangs into the neck, making sure the camera could see everything. Within minutes the woman slumped to the floor, and then Amy indulged in her full power, wrapped her mind, body and soul in complete darkness. Her eyes blazed white with power, and she pointed a finger at the second human. Without a word, or a gesture a blast of energy screamed from Amy’s finger to strike the human in the chest, blasting him back against the wall. Turning back to the camera she grinned ferally, blood running down her chin “Try to fight us and you will lose. The world will be ours. Prepare to be our cattle.” 

Meanwhile in New York, in the CEO office of Raines corp Kamilah scowls at the monitor, showing the broadcast of her beloved Amy issuing Rheya’s ultimatum to the world. A step from behind and the smooth voice of her old friend Adrian comes to her ears “We could be to late Kamilah. She looks lost”  
“I have to go to her Adrian. I have to bring her back.”  
“I don’t think that is possible Kamilah” he placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder “she is not the Amy we know. She has become Rheya’s”  
“Oh come on Adrian” she shrugged off his hand, spinning to face him “after everything she has done for us. We owe her.”  
“You are right, but she is shrouded in darkness”  
“And she always said that I could bring her back from it” Kamilah looked through narrowed eyes “She believes I am dead Adrian. Rheya has convinced her that she witnessed it. We failed again, in protecting her. I have been with her every night since Serafine found a way in. I have tried to speak to her, but she cannot believe. She needs to see me in person.” Kamilah hesitated, choking up on emotion. She punched a fist into Adrians desk, causing it to crack “Damn this and damn Rheya. It has been so long since I had someone in my life, someone I could love and that bitch took her away from me.” She met Adrians gaze and he saw the anger, but also the fear in her red rimmed eyes. “ I will not blame you for anything you choose Adrian, but either we both go, or I go alone. I will not give up on her.”  
“You know I will not let you go alone Kamilah. When have I ever turned you down”  
“Then we go together” she smiled grimly and he nodded  
“Hell yeah we go” Lilly jumped off Adrian’s desk “I am not leaving my bestie in those hands”  
“Agreed” Jax muttered from behind, his eyes intently staring at the image of Amy on the monitor “we all go”  
Kamilah looked around them, taking in their resolve and she nodded firmly “Then let us get to it. We need to go and bring back our Amy.”


	10. Mydiea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will Kamilah do to get her Amy back, and how will it turn out with Amy believing her lover is dead.

In New York chaos erupted in the city streets. The broadcast from Mydiea had occurred only a few hours ago. Adrian, Kamilah and the rest of the council had held a hasty conference with the U.S government officials in the know about them. They had counselled them to get the troops ready, but kept secret their intention to go get Amy. They had awaited the sun to set and as soon as that happened vampires raged in the streets.

Serrafine walked into Adrians office “Everything is insane out there. It is like Rheya controls every single vampire” Kamilah said to her. Serrafine turned to Kamilah, shrugging a bit “She does. Rheya is the source of our bloodline. Only Amy was exempt from that, being a bloodkeeper, but even she has your blood in her Kamilah, so that might put her under sway of Rheya. Only we are free, partly because Amy believes we are dead, so that is why I was able to hide us when she reached out to every vampire in the world.”  
“How did she manage that?” Jax snarled  
“She is a bloodkeeper, her ability has no range, and he has access to the mind of every vampire ever created. And with Rheya behind her, there is no telling what they are both capable of. We have to move quickly. The longer Amy stays under sway of Rheya, the worse it will get.”  
“But how are some of our clan members still with us?”  
Serafine turned to Adrian, shrugging “Loyalty Moi cherie.”  
“Really” Adrian raised a skeptical brow  
“Do not underestimate the power of loyalty, particularly to those who have been in your clan for a long time. You, Kamilah and Jax have done right by your people. And the brands you share create a connection, so when I kept us free of Rheya, those most loyal to you remained free as well.”  
“So there are limits then?”  
“Indeed Adrian. There are always limits to control. Much of it is dependent upon emotion. And if Amy thinks we are all dead” she glanced at Kamilah “particularly the one she loves the most, well there would be nothing to help her hold the course. That, and I am sure Rheya is very skilled at manipulating people.”  
“So enough talk” Jax snarled “when are we going to get Amy back.”

Silence filled the room, all of them considering the best options, then Kamilah spoke up “We need to do this right, and do it smart” she held up a hand to prevent Jax from interrupting “I want her back as much, if not more than you Pup. But I want to make sure we actually do get her back. We need a plan. Right now, we have ourselves and a few dozen loyal vampires. We cannot count on assistance from any government resource, as they will all be busy defending the populace. So we have to get it right the first time.”  
Just then Adrians phone started beeping. He took it out, glancing at it with a curse. Kamilah glanced over, raising an eyebrow and he answered her unasked question “Its Moira. She is calling in.”  
“I would have thought the secretary of defense would be busy right now.” she quipped  
Adrian rolled his eyes “Me too, but we should talk to her, or she might resort to just bombing the city.”  
“But we can’t tell her what we have planned” interrupted Jax  
“I am not so sure actually” Kamilah spoke up “we do want to keep people like Moira supportive of us. We need to play it close to our vests, but we do need to give her something, atleast some kind of hope that we have a resolution in mind.”  
“Do we?”  
“Yes Jax we do. The best way to resolve this is to get Amy back, and in the process kill Rheya.”  
“Oh just like that”  
“No pup, not just like that, but we do not need to let Moira know how difficult it will actually be. And if we give her something, she might be willing to lend a hand.”  
“So what is our play?”  
Adrian and Kamilah looked at each other, considering Jax’s question. They both had the most martial experience. Finally Kamilah replied “We need to find a way to infiltrate Mydiea again.”  
“Plane to Greece and boat again?”  
“No Lilly” Kamilah replied in a thoughtful tone “I do not think that would be best. I think we need to go directly to Mydiea. Greece is over run right now, but we will need a plane.”  
Adrian smiled somewhat “Well, I do have a solution for that” and all eyes turned to him. He cleared his throat “Raines corp has been working on a new stealth plane. We have a prototype ready. We can use that and parachute into Mydiea. Then we will just be some vampires moving around an island covered in Vampires”  
“So what shall we tell the Moira?”  
“As little as possible Lilly” Kamilah turned to her “but enough to satisfy her that we are working on it. We can tell her a bit of the plan, probably skipping over Amy and say we have a lead to and can take out Rheya”  
“She might want the location Kamilah”  
“True enough Adrian. I would in her position” Kamilah thrummed her fingers on his desk a second, then said “we can send her the location with a delayed encryption. That should be good enough for her.”  
“We can try. We better get in there to talk to her before she gets too impatient.”

The group stepped into the white conference room and the montir on the far wall already showed an impatient secretary of defense “Sorry to keep you Moira” Adrian greeted her cordially “things are hectic around here.”  
“I bet. So now tell me what is going on?”  
Adrian shrugged “Probably the same as everywhere else. Most vampires are causing chaos. How was your response managed?”  
“We evacuated as many civilians as we could to safe zones, but too many were caught in their homes, not believing the show put on by your bloodkeeper” her eyes narrowed at that. Kamilah tensed, then said “Amy has somehow fallen under the control of Rheya.”  
“And just who is that?”  
“As Amy said in the broadcast, she is the first vampire, the most powerful of us. We thought she was dead thousands of years ago, but apparently something brought her back”  
“And now she has your bloodkeeper and together they can somehow influence all vampires, except you four.”  
“Five” Serafine spoke up entering the conference room  
“And you are?”  
“Serafine madam secretary. A friend of Adrian and Kamilah, and of Amy.”  
“How is it that you are free of this control?”  
“I have the ability to protect certain people. Plus we believe that Rheya has convinced Amy that we are dead, so it was easier to keep us hidden, as she did not expect to find us.”  
“And so it's just the five?”  
“Well not quite” Serafine looked to Adrian, Kamilah and Jax “several of their clan members also remain loyal. They have been with Adrian and the others long enough that their connection was too strong to be overcome, but for how much longer I do not know.”  
“We need to end this” Moira snapped “but we don’t even know their location, or I would launch an airstrike.”  
“That might not be the best idea” Kamilah spoke softly “we have no way of knowing what Rheya’s abilities might be. Back in the day she had immense power. She may be able to protect her location. But there is a way.”  
“Oh?”  
“We might have a lead on their location. The five of us plan on infiltrating it and taking Rheya out. She is the instigator of it all, and once she is dead…”  
“And your bloodkeeper?”  
“Once Rheya is gone, all vampires will be free of her influence” Kamilah spoke with more confidence than she actually felt.

The conversation continued for about 10 minutes, with Moira trying to get a hint as to the location. As Kamilah had thought a delayed message with the location was enough for her for now. But she only gave them four days. Not much time to get ready and sneak into Mydiea. Kamilah stared moodily out the window of Adrians office. Her thoughts a thousand miles away, wondering what her love was doing now, wishing she could have Amy in her arms. Never had Kamilah loved this much, nor been kept from the source of that love. Oh she had loved several down the centuries, but none as pure and strong as Amy. She longed to have her back. A step alerted her and she felt Adrians presence, just before he placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder “We will get her back Kamilah.”  
“We have to” Kamilah whispered with more intensity than Adrian had ever witnessed “I cannot lose her again.”

Back on Mydiea Amy walked purposefully along the hallways of the palace, toward the throne room. Since Rheya had unleashed her chaos upon the world, there had been so much for Amy to deal with. She marched into the throne room, up to the dais and gently kissed her Mistress on the lips. Stepping back Rheya smiled benevolently upon her “Report my Amy.”  
“The prisoners are here. They have been moved to the dungeons. Several thousand humans, should be enough for us, provided we keep them alive.”  
“Yes, yes Amy. You have made your point clear.”  
“My Mistress, please forgive me” Amy lowered her eyes “I only seek to ensure we have enough left to feed upon.”  
Rheya caressed Amy’s cheek “No apologies my Amy. You are correct. We will curb our hunger for the time being.”  
Amy leaned into the caress, relishing the physical contact. Sometimes she felt very close to Rheya, at other times her Mistress seemed so distant. It was nothing like her bond with Kamilah. Amy almost frowned, where had that thought come from. Probably the nightly dreams she was having. Despite the pain of loss, she was enjoying the time in those dreams, because she was allowed to be innocent and to feel loved again. But that was not her life anymore. Her life, her love had been stolen from her and now all she had was Rheya’s will.

Rheya had turned her attention back to the monitor hanging in the center of the throne room. It displayed movement in many countries. For having been born so long ago, Rheya had embraced technology and had managed to get access to various satellites and camera systems throughout the world. Amy should really not be surprised, as she was the one responsible for giving Rheya all the knowledge she needed. Her time here in Mydiea had been spent ploughing through vampire memories. Some to point out who might not be fully loyal, but she had also concentrated on the vampire geniuses throughout history and using their memories to give Rheya every technological advancement she could. Perhaps that is why her time here was such a blur of indistinct time. Amy had spent so long moving through centuries, living through vile acts, and moments of triumph and her mind was becoming full of other memories, so much so she had a very vague idea where hers stopped and others began. 

With the technology Rheya was able to see what was happening after the instructions had been received by Vampires all over the world. She appeared pleased at the chaos shown in many cities. At first, Amy had been confused over where the power was coming from, but she soon discovered some of the vampires Rheya had newly turned were experts in the scientific field and they had already developed a solar, wind and sea power system.

In the days since Amy had been brought here, Rheya had not been idle. The Palace and city beyond had been rebuilt, improved with technology and she had developed a decent army, several hundred strong, in the palace. That was not counting all the vampires abroad in the world. She was building a Kingdom step by step. Amy had been surprised by all that had been accomplished, but then her first weeks here were a blur of refusing to follow Rheya. And even now, after having served Rheya for years, Amy still found much of her time, beyond a few weeks ago, a complete blur. If asked, Amy could not say with any certainty just how long she had been in Mydiea. Her memory told her it was years, but most of that was incoherent and hazy. She knew better than to ask her Mistress about it, she would quickly tell her that she was worrying over nothing important. And if Rheya became upset by her questioning, Amy would spend days being devastated emotionally. It was her life to serve Rheya in any way necessary.

Amy still was not clear on the plan here. She knew Rheya wanted to create a land where Vampires could roam at will, no longer hide and would perhaps be the dominant species, but how she was going to bring that about was not clear. They now controlled Greece, all humans were confined, their leaders incarcerated, with many prisoners being brought to Mydiea. Chaos had been let loose upon the world, at Rheya’s instructions, but what was the grand plan. How was she planning on overcoming the world's governments and armies. Or did Rheya even want that. Maybe all she wanted was chaos. There were not enough vampires out in the world to make that much of a difference. And while Rheya was still turning more, she was holding them here, close to home.

Amy kept her eyes on Rheya as the first vampire watched the bank of monitors showing her vampire activity out in the world. Still clothed in what Rheya had determined would be high priestess attire, Amy still felt ludicrous in the outfit. It basically amounted to a white and gold bra, with halter and a white, almost sheer ankle length skirt, split to her thighs. It was nothing short of provocative, but Rheya seemed to like it, but Amy was beyond self conscious, particularly when she became the center of attention. Fortunately, at the moment, Rheya was all but ignoring her.

Looking around the throne, Amy noticed some changes, for the first time. To the far left of the throne stood a new row of windows, tinted to keep the sunlight from the average vampires. Amy though, was far from average, and she suddenly felt an urge to be outside. Moving quietly, just the way Kamilah had taught her, so long ago, Amy moved to the windows, and saw they were sliding doors. Quietly, trying not to draw attention, she opened and stepped out into the sunlight.

Stepping to the edge, Amy leaned against the railing of the balcony, taking a deep breath of fresh air, and gazing out over the city in the center of Mydiea. Staring out at the silent city, quiet now that the sun had risen, Amy lost herself in thought. Only she and Rheya typically operated during the day, well them and a few of Rheya’s closest inner circle. Despite her position, Amy often felt less important than those others, and felt she was a disappointment to her Mistress. When had she started to think like that? When had Rheya become the center of her life? It felt like she had served for years, but there was no clear memory of all that time. Right now, Amy was feeling ill used, and anger roiled deep within. Since giving herself to Rheya Amy had lived with near constant anger, but this felt different. A rage swelled within her, and unlike the directionless anger she lived with, this was aimed more at Rheya than anything else. That caused Amy no small amount of fear. Would Rheya be aware of these feelings?

Amy jumped as cool hands caressed her arms, and a lythe body pressed up against her back. Long brown hair draped over her shoulder as soft, soft lips gently kissed her neck. Breath whispered against her ear and in a seductive voice she hear Rheya “You should be inside with me my Amy. Why do you stand out here?” Amy shuddered, partly in pleasure, and partly in discomfort as Rheya slowly, gently kissed her away around her neck.

After several long minutes of kissing, and not receiving the usual response Rheya leaned further forward, looking Amy in the eyes “What is wrong Amy?”  
Amy took a deep breath, trying to figure out the answer to that question. It was one that had no answer right now. Shuddering again Amy glanced sidelong at her Mistress and in a quiet, sad voice “I am not sure Mistress. I have been feeling out of sorts recently.”  
“Why” Rheya gently stroked a finger down the length of Amy’s arm  
“I do not know.”  
“Do not lie to me Amy. You can talk to me.”  
Another deep shuddering breath, Amy shrugged her shoulders a bit, then turned to face Rheya. Her Mistress placed hands at Amy’s waist, holding loosely and gazed deeply into her eyes. Finally Amy spoke, in a small voice, “I am feeling left out, I suppose.”  
“Left out? In what way?”  
Amy shook her head, trying to shake away the frustration she felt “I feel further away from you, since we began this conquest. We are hardly together and when we are, I still feel miles away from you. And you keep me in the dark with what you are planning.” Amy could not force herself to maintain eye contact while she spoke those words, fearing to see hurt in Rheya’s eyes.

Amy felt soft fingers beneath her chin, and with a little pressure, Rheya lifted her face upward so their eyes met. There was no hurt in those brown eyes, but there was what appeared to be love, and a little confusion. Finally Rheya leaned kissing Amy softly on the lips, then pulled back and whispered “There is something else.”  
“I miss Kamilah” Amy finally managed to blurt it out “I am sorry my Mistress. I have not shared this with you, but I have been dreaming of her and I my heart still aches.”  
“I understand my Amy. You have lost much.” Then Rheya’s eyes narrowed “when did you last feed. You look famished.”  
Guilt filled Amy at that question. She felt shame at causing Rheya to worry over something so mundane “It's been a couple of days.”  
Rheya shook her head, tutting in disapproval “You need to keep your strength up Amy. That will not help you feel any better” then she frowned again “and have you been leaving all your prey alive?”  
Amy tried to cover it up, she took a deep breath, meaning to lie, but one look into Rheyas eyes and she swallowed that lie. She almost wailed “Yes, my Mistress. I am so sorry. I know you must be disappointed in me.”  
“No my Amy” Rheya wrapped her in a warm, soft hug “never disappointed, but worried. Yes.”

Amy leaned her head into the crook of Rheya’s neck, inhaling her floral scent, so unlike Kamilah. Now where did that thought come from, Amy concentrated, forcing thoughts of Kamilah out of her mind. She was no longer a part of her life and it was high time she moved on. Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as Rheya stroked her back comforting her “Oh my Amy” she murmured “you bring yourself so much pain and suffering. I am not pushing you away, you are taking yourself further from me. You need to open yourself up to me again, to become one with me again. I will share things with you when the time is right.”

For a while Rheya comforted Amy, and Amy cried, letting go of her past, her feelings, her emotions, her sadness. As the sadness left, anger grew to replace it. No longer directed at Rheya it was at herself for dwelling on the past, and aimed at people like the Order. The Order who had hunted and killed her people, subjugated them and taking all her family from her. She knew Rheya grieved with her and there was so much guilt within Amy for increasing that grief in her Mistress. 

“Ok Amy. Now you need to feed, and then we will spend the afternoon together” Rheya looked down smiling softly as Amy pulled her head up and wiped the tears from her face.  
“Yes my Mistress”  
“And Amy. You have to drink your fill today.”  
“But we do need to try and keep as many alive as we can” Amy tried to argue. It was a weak argument and an attempt to cover her dislike for killing by feeding. Every time she did, she felt sullied and took no pleasure in the feeling of empowerment that came over her. The look Rheya gave her confirmed she saw through Amy’s reason, but she still spoke gently “Amy. I need you to be at your strongest for me. I cannot build this paradise alone. I need you.”

Rheya took Amy by the hand, and led her back into her throne room. Walking gracefully over, she sat upon her throne, let go of Amy’s hand and clapped hers twice “Bring someone for my Amy to feed on.” A guard at the door nodded, and left.

Moments later the guard re entered dragging a young woman with me. She was no more than 24, lythe, long black hair. She reminded Amy of herself when she had been mortal. Thinking back, Amy frowned, how long had it been since then? She had no idea. But inhaling, Amy caught the scent of the woman, and her mouth watered. She smelled delectable and Amy was so hungry and almost tired of suffering hunger pangs. With graceful steps Amy stood before the woman. She reached up and gently caressed the young, worried face before her. She could smell the fear, and that only made the woman smell even more enticing. Almost grinning, Amy licked her lips, in between her now extended fangs. Taking hold of each side of her face, Amy tilted the woman's head, brushed her hair aside and slowly moved her mouth toward the neck and the vein throbbing with blood. A hammering heart could be heard as she got closer, and blood literally raced through that vein. Amy kissed the neck, tasting the skin, the sweat, and she inhaled. Having always loved the smell of a woman, their scent now elevated Amy to a new level of ecstacy. Saliva almost dripped from the corner of her mouth, she opened wide and pierced he neck.

The woman gasped, and tensed as Amy’s fangs pierced the vein, then she gasped in pleasure when Amy removed her fangs and sucked on the succulent blood flowing from the wounds she had just made. The womans hands moved around Amy’s waist, and it felt good to be held by someone experiencing pleasure. The feeding process felt so good to both parties, even if it ended in death. The seconds before death filled the mortals with so much ecstasy they often begged the vampire not to stop. Amy held the woman tighter and closer, sucking deeply at the blood, loving the strength that flowed into her body, the tingling, sparkling energy that followed the stream down her throat.

For the first time Amy gave herself over to the feeding process, she gave in to the hunters instincts that had been screaming at her since she had been turned. She gave in to the insistence from Rheya that she should be true to herself and feed upon her prey. Almost moaning in pleasure, Amy latched her mouth tighter on the neck and sucked harder, draining more and more blood, while the human gasped, moaned and trembled at the pleasurable feelings flowing through her body. Amy was finally giving her all to it when she was startled by a thunderous boom echoing throughout the room. Lifting her mouth from the neck, she growls in displeasure at being interrupted.

Amy turns to the doors, their bursting inward being the source of the distracting boom. She growls, moving towards them, ready to kill whoever is interrupting her and she stops in shock as Kamilah strides in, followed by Adrian, Lilly and Jax. Amy stares, her mouth working, but no sounds coming out.They look indentical to her dead friends. Lilly wearing her usual purple top, and black leather. And she carries her favorite crossbow. Amy’s heart leaps at the sight of her beautiful, dead lover, despite her mind shrieking over the impossibility. 

It is impossible. Kamilah cannot be here. But despite her memories, Amy feels a pang of doubt, followed by such deep despair. It took her so long to move on from Kamilah and now this. So many emotions inundate her. Despair, love, grief, longing, joy, all of it slamming into Amy at once as she blinks her eyes trying to make sense of the mirage before her. And her wider vision takes in the people that look like her old friends, causing even more confusing emotions roiling through her brain. What is going on? How can this be?

Kamilah took a hesitant step forward, her hand extended, but halts upon seeing the confusion on Amy’s face and the obvious multitude of emotions that passed across her expression. Seeing her move, Amy’s heart lurches again. This person moves like Kamilah. Staggering back, Amy inadvertently places a hand over her own heart and she can feel it almost thump out of her chest. In that moment, no one else in the room matters, or is remembered. Amy can concentrate on only one person. Kamilah.

Shaking her head in denial, Amy points to Kamilah, her fangs extended, blood at the edges of her mouth, eyes dangerously red “What is this?” she snarled “what trick is this? Who are you?”  
Kamilah takes a few steps forward, hands still outstretched “You know me Amy.”  
“No” Amy shook her head again, her entire body vibrating with emotion “NO” she screamed “this cannot be. You cannot be. Who are you?”  
“I am Kamilah Amy. Your Queen”  
“Noooooo. I do not believe it. My Kamilah died years ago. I saw it.”  
“No Amy. I did not die, and we have only been separated for a few months. You have been deceived.”  
Shaking her head more vigorously Amy turns to Rheya and the first snarled “It is a trick Amy. Stop them.”

In a flash Amy stands before the facsimile of Kamilah, her hand closing around the woman's throat. With a snarl, she flexed her arm, picking Kamilah up as one would a child and threw her over her shoulder. As soon as Kamilah landed, Amy was there, picking her up and bouncing her off the floor, then the wall, the ceiling the floor again. After several minutes of abuse, Amy pushed the fake Kamilah up against a wall, holding her by her throat. Her fangs bared, Amy drew back her right hand, extending her fingers like a claw, ready to end the woman's life. She refused to look at her as she snarled “Now you will die for even daring to look like my Kamilah” But before Amy could move, she felt a hand upon her shoulder. Glancing back she knew it was Rheya before she saw. Her Mistress spoke softly “Stop Amy. You cannot kill her in anger. This is something that needs to be done with the light of reason. If you do it in anger, you will always have doubts. I cannot live with your doubts my Amy. You have to do this calm. You have to do it for me.”

Shocked at first, Amy saw the vulnerability in Rheya’s eyes and she knew her Mistress wanted her to choose when she was not filled with righteous rage. Blinking, Amy regained control of her body, her adrenaline, and with a dismissive glance, she let Kamilah go, the woman sliding to the ground, unconscious. Looking behind Rheya Amy saw the copies of her other friends had been subdued.  
“Give it a day or two my Amy and then you can take your revenge and finally prove that you are mine forever.” Without a backward glance Amy walked away from Kamilah, leaving her slumped on the floor against the wall.


	11. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamilah and company have come after Amy, but she doesn't believe they are who they say they are. What will she do now?

Amy walks through the halls of the palace at Mydiea, having left Rheya asleep in their bed. It had been more than a day since the fake Kamilah had burst into the throne room. Now Amy was on her way to clear things up and find out why this person thought it would be a good idea to pretend to be her late lover.

Rheya had not told Amy where she had ordered Kamilah and her friends be held. She shook her head to clear that thought. They were not her friends, they had to be some kind of pretense. But either way she, at first, had no idea where they would be. But ever since joining with Rheya and learning from her, Amy’s talents had grown in leaps and bounds. Stopping in a quiet hall, she closed her eyes and reached out to the surrounding vampires. It was but the work of a few minutes, for Amy to find the right vampire and the right memories, and then she knew where to go.

Turning right at the end of the hall, she walked along 10 steps, then turned right to face the wall. Pressing her hands against it, she pushed and with a click a door was exposed. Stepping through she found herself on a dark stairwell. With no hesitation Amy headed down into another part of the dungeons, a part she had known nothing about. She had only been to the main dungeon where the human prisoners were being kept. This was something different.

Stepping carefully out into the dark stairwell, Amy extends her vampire senses. Nothing moves down here, it is dark, still and stuffy. Her eyes adjust and soon she can make out shadows of the steps.

Many minutes later, she eventually reaches the bottom. The stairs empty out into a wide chamber, surrounded by wooden doors, each with a grate in it. It most certainly has the appearance of a dungeon, and off in the corner is a case of what can only be called torture implements. Seeing that causes Amy to shudder slightly, with the sharp image of Rheya standing over the copy of Kamilah, grinning fiendishly as she cuts, and slices her. Banishing that thought, Amy checks each door. 

Behind every door is a cell, and one of the people that look like her friends. After the third one, she finds the cell containing Kamilah. Trying the handle, she finds the door locked, and she has no idea where the key would be. Shrugging, Amy reaches inward to the energy she has been able to sense flowing through her for some time. Being with Rheya has taught Amy much about the power of the first, but also about her own power that comes from the same source. Amy’s power is different, but related and energy is energy. So with concentration Amy reaches out with her energy and minds eye, sliding inside the lock and with a click it opens. A loud creaking echoes as she pulls the heavy door, and then she steps into the cell. 

The Kamilah look alike hangs from manacles, against the far wall. Her head had been hanging down until the door creaked. Then her gaze had lifted, to look directly at Amy. The hope in those brown eyes staggers Amy. She, once again, placed a hand over her heart, but after a second shrugs aside her feelings “I must know who you are?”  
“You know who I am Amy” Kamilah spoke softly, her voice beautiful to hear, bringing tears to Amy’s eyes  
“I know who you look like” corrected Amy, trying to speak past the lump in her throat  
“Amy. If you search within, you will know who I am. I am yours.”

The tone, and timber of the voice causes shudders to run through Amy. They sounded so much like Kamilah. She looks like Kamilah, but that just could not be. Amy knows she has to keep tight control over her emotions, so she takes refuge in sarcasm “You know” she tried to grin impishly, brushing an imagined speck from her bodice “I just don’t think you can be my Kami” she threw that out airily and despite the circumstances Kamilah rolled her eyes. That only raised more doubt in Amy, and ofcourse got her heart racing again, for she had always loved to bring about that reaction in Kamilah, but despite that she continued “You have to be lying you know. I am just a smidge curious to find out why and what your plan is.”  
“Any why do I have to be lying?”  
Amy stepped up close, face inches away from Kamilah, her heart trembling but she tried to hide it “Because I saw my Kamilah die. No” Amy shook her head “you have to be some kind of diversion, but what is it about and what will it mean for my Mistress and me.”  
“Your MIstress” Kamilah all but hissed, then got herself back under control and more casually replied “You might think you saw me die but your heart says otherwise” she cocked her head to the side “I can hear it right now. Listen to it.”

Amy stepped back to gain a bit of space and calm her rapidly beating heart. After a few seconds she shrugged “You will die ofcourse. But answering me might make your death less painful.”  
“And who is going to kill me Amy?”  
“Oh well my Mistress will want me to do it.”  
“Mistress?” Kamilah hissed again  
“Yes. I serve Rheya now, in all things.”  
“That is not who you are Amy. You are not the servant of a bloodthirsty, power hungry dictator.”  
“And what would you know about me?” Amy shook her head, raising her hand to forestall any further conversation “No. I am convinced that you are a ploy, a diversion perhaps. But I am not sure of what kind. I will have the truth from you, if not now, then it will be another day, and it will happen before I kill you” Then Amy waved airily toward the other cells “and kill those too for impersonating people that I was close to once upon a time.”  
“Amy” Kamilah pulled at the restraints, now seemingly agitated “you have to listen to me. Listen to your heart. You know who I am and your heart will tell you the truth.”  
For a brief second Amy hesitated, looking at Kamilah through narrowed eyes, then shook her head “No. I do not know who you are. And I have no further time for you. My Mistress is arousing and I must be there.” Amy swept out of the cell, swinging the door closed behind her. Before she takes two steps, another voice calls out from a different cell.  
“Amy. Bestie”   
Amy halts at the sound of her best friends voice. She had never had a friend like Lilly, not until moving to New York and this person sounds so much like Lilly that it brings a pang of loss to her heart. With a deep breath Amy continues on “You are not my bestie. She is dead too.”

Sliding through the door, Amy lets it close gently behind her and steps quietly over to the bed. Undressing she carefully slips under the covers, and feels Rheya roll over in her sleep, draping an arm around her. Missing Kamilah more than ever Amy tries to find solace in having Rheya. She pulls the firsts arms more tightly around her and snuggles back up against her warm body. But it feels nothing like her memories of being with Kamilah. With Kamilah there had been passion and lust, yes, but also caring, love and wonder. Rheya never shared much of the gentler side of her feelings. Settling in, Amy tried to sleep for what remained of the night, but no matter how she tried, sleep would not come.

Finally after several hours, Amy rolls onto her back, looks up and notices Rheya lying on her side, head in her hand, watching her with hooded eyes. Glancing at her Mistress Amy tries to hide her guilty feelings over talking to Kamilah a few hours ago. She is sure that Rheya had been asleep, but there was no telling how much her Mistress knew. But then her fears vanished when Rheya smiled and leaned forward to gently kiss her on the lips. The kiss turned from gentle to passionate in a second, as Rheya’s arms snaked out to pull Amy close to her, their bodies fitting together.

Rheya’s hands slide up Amy’s back and Amy shudders at her touch, trying to find the passion she had felt for Rheya just the other day. But it was absent, much of her thoughts on the woman, who so resembled her Kamilah, in their dungeon. Rheya didn’t seem to notice Amy’s lack of passion, as she continued to kiss her lips, while her hands explored Amy’s naked body. And then Rheya pushed Amy onto her back, and with eyes alight with passion, she swung a leg over Amy, straddled her and walked upward on her knees, till she was directly above Amy’s mouth, and with a groan she lowered herself onto Amy, who obligingly slide her tongue out and into her Mistress. Despite the lack of desire to do this, Rheya still tasted and smelled wonderful, and Amy figured she would be better served by not letting her Mistress know how she was feeling. So she reached up, grasped her Mistress’s waist and held her in place, while her tongue worked its way deep inside and Rheya undulated over her mouth, gasping and groaning as her passions mounted.

Later, after Rheya was satisfied, Amy lay in the arms of the first vampire and wondered what was going on. There had been very little to no desire in her own mind and body to be with Rheya at that point, but that was something Rheya had not even noticed. Amy had no doubts that Kamilah would have noticed and wanted to find out what was wrong, or even what would make her feel better. But with Rheya, it seemed to be always about what Rheya wanted, Rheya’s desires, Rheya’s passions and plans and lusts, and usually not very much about Amy. Still Amy was wary of disappointing, or upsetting Rheya and outliving her usefulness to the first.

Once the two made their way to the throne room, Rheya immediately sat upon her throne, observing the bank of monitors. Seconds later she glanced to Amy, then beckoned her over “Look Amy. Look and see what is happening.”  
Amy did as she was bidden and on the monitors she observed chaos throughout all major countries in the world. On one monitor was a map of the U.S and several states had cities highlighted in red. Rheya pointed to them “Those are cities now exclusively controlled by my vampires.”  
“What....How?”  
“You had doubts my Amy?”  
“I was not sure how letting them run chaotically would fulfill your desires my Mistress”  
“Thats ok Amy. I understand doubts. The chaos we so successfully unleashed allowed me to slip other vampires into those cities and take over the government buildings and hold the officials hostage. As of now I completely control New York, Chicago, Washington DC. Unfortunately the President slipped away, but I control the city.”  
“I did...did not expect that.”  
“You underestimated me Amy.”  
“I...I…” Amy hung her head “yes Mistress. I did. I am sorry.” Amy felt a gentle finger under her chin. A little pressure from Rheya and Amy lifted her gaze to fall upon the brown eyes of her Mistress “I forgive you Amy. But you will have to make sure you do not underestimate me again. It is time for you to prove you are mine.”  
“I have already given myself to you Mistress. What more can I do.”  
“You will kill that person impersonating Kamilah. Show me that you are not held to the past. Let go of it and walk into the future at my side.”

Amy’s heart skipped at the thought of killing Kamilah, even if she was a fake. That and the rest of her friends. It was so much for Rheya to ask. The brief talk she’d had with Kamilah, had not reassured her at all. If anything it had increased her doubts and made her wonder why someone would pretend to be Kamilah, or her friends. What would they gain from it. But how could it be possible. Amy herself had seen Kamilah die. She had replayed the memory again and again and again. Each time it ended the same way. There was one sword through Kamilah’s back, coming out of her chest, and then despite it being hazy, Amy can still see an order soldier ramming a second one through her lovers back. Yes some of the memory is indistinct, probably due to grief, but over and over again it shows Kamilah dying. So how can she possibly be here. She can’t be. And so what Rheya is asking should not be too difficult. Rheya is now her present and her future and if her Mistress needs proof then Amy has to give to her. Gulping back the lump in her throat, Amy glances at Rheya, nods and says “Yes my Mistress. As you wish. I will prove that I am yours, beyond doubt.”  
“Good my Amy. I will not share you, even with a memory of the past.”

Mere minutes later the doors open and guards bring in Kamilah, Adrian, Jax and Lilly. They look so much like her friends that Amy has to shake her head to dispel the feeling of love she has for them. Stepping away from Rheya, Amy moves a bit closer to her friends, when suddenly Kamilah moves. With two quick movements she has two guards on their knees gasping, as she rammed the side of her hands into their throats. With blurring movements, she takes a knife from each one of them, then steps forward into a fighting stance, looking at Amy expectantly. Smiling grimly she beckons to Amy, then reverses the grip on both knives to hold them in a backward grasps and says in a silky voice “Let me prove who I am Amy. Fight me and you will see.”  
“No” Rheya shouts, her voice almost shrill. Startled Amy looks at her, wondering why. Surely her Mistress cannot be worried. Amy is far stronger and more powerful than any other vampire and even if this really were Kamilah, she would not be much of a match to her anymore.   
“Why not Mistress?”  
“Just kill her now Amy. Get it over with.”  
“Come Amy” Kamilah speaks up “fight me and learn the truth.”  
Two desires warred within Amy. She hated the idea of backing down from a challenge, nor did she want to disobey her Mistress, but she was still confused as to why Rheya didnt want her to fight the woman. Shrugging Amy raised her hand, a white energy forming around it. Kamilah tensed, frowning “If you kill me without fighting me, then my Amy is truly dead, and if that is the case my life is over, so kill me.” Amy hesitates again, then throws both hands out to either side. They glow brightly and a knife from each wall vibrates and then they fly through the air to thunk into her hands. Grinning, Amy steps forward into a stance mirroring that of Kamilah.  
“Very well imposter. You will have your wish.”  
“No Amy” cried Rheya  
“Mistress. It will be over quickly. Do not worry” and then in a blur Amy runs forward. She stops right in front of Kamilah, her arms already moving to slash her knives into the woman, but with a clash of steel Kamilah blocked her.

Amy steps back, Kamilah follows, both their arms moving so fast they could hardly be seen. The constant clash of steel fils the throne room as both women step forward and backward, each looking for an opening.

While fighting Amy’s memories go back to her training with Kamilah. And just like back then, this Kamilah speaks to her in an almost conversational tone “You have picked up more speed and some new tricks Amy. But you are still a bit slow on the left” and then Amy feels a sting as Kamilah’s knife sneaks past her defense and slashes along her left ribs. With a snarl Amy leaps backward, and then suddenly forward, into a back spin kick. Kamilah ducks under, but Amy maneuveres into a snapping front kick, her foot connecting to Kamilah’s chin. With an ooff Kamilah fly’s backward, but turns it into a vault, spinning around to land on her feet. In a flash she is in front of Amy again, her knives lashing out, and Amy is back on the defensive “Not bad at all Amy. I am impressed. But still you are not seeing the truth. Look at me. You know me. Show me how you fight, and I will show you who you are. Do you remember that Amy?”

Amy starts at what Kamilah just said. It was something she used to say back in the day. The best way to know someone, was to fight them. Fighting someone, either in training, or defense, would show you who the person really was. 

As they fight back and forth Amy can not shake her emotions. Every single time their knives clash it tears her heart. Every move this Kamilah makes is so much like her own dead Kamilah. She looks like her, she moves like her and she smells just like her. Confusion fills Amy, slowing her movements some, but Kamilah continues her attack, pushing Amy to her limits, as she always used to.

The two fight back and forth across the throne room. Adrian, Lilly and Jax are held off to the side, surrounded by guards. Rheya stands before her throne watching the fight intensely. Amy is being pushed to her limits. This woman is an amazing fighter with a pair of knives. Amy steps forward, swings her right. Kamilah ducks only to see the knife in Amy’s left hand stabbing toward her face. But Kamilah is fast enough, and she blocks with her right blade Surprisingly she kneels lower, sweeping her leg out. Amy gasps as Kamilahs leg swept towards hers, and she has to disengage and jumped. As soon as she lands, Kamilah sweeps in left and right and Amy finds her knives wrung from her hands. 

She is disarmed, but that was not the most startling thing. Amy stares, mouth open in shock. That move had been so Kamilah, it was almost a signature. It was something Amy had only ever seen Kamilah pull off. She looked intently at the brown eyes looking out from the face she had fallen in love with so long ago. Amy draws in deep lungfuls of air, trying to steady her racing heart. Kamilah, surprisingly does not attack, she stands, hands to her sides, and meets Amy’s gaze with a boldness that is every inch Kamilah. 

Amy feels something, a connection. Her heart almost seems to reach out to the woman, but the feeling is tainted by shame and guilt. Throwing her head back Amy screams, the sound vibrating off the walls. She screams again, and again. All in the room cover their ears, and then Amy is moving forward, expression fixed and red with rage. Her right hand outstretched. Kamilah brings her knives back up, but hesitates. Energy pours off Amy and the knives are sent spinning across the floor, as her hand closes around the throat of Kamilah. Amy lifts the woman, and walks quickly forward.

Amy holds Kamilah by the throat, up against the wall, similar to how she had held her the other night. Her left arm is pulled back, hand clawlike, ready to strike. But this time Kamilah is very much awake. She stares down at Amy, love fills those beautiful brown eyes. This time Amy looks up into them. The brown eyes are full of love, and perhaps a hint of fear, not self fear, but it feels more like fear for Amy.   
“I am your Kamilah” the woman speaks softly “look into my eyes and tell me that I am not.”  
And Amy is drawn into the depths of those eyes. The eyes she had fallen in love with so long ago. The eyes that had always felt so alive, made her think of life and growth, the eyes that were always so deep and full of wisdom. Those beloved brown orbs gazed down upon her and Amy let herself be open to them. And then slowly something leaked into her perception. She felt a tickle in the tattoo on her fight arm. The tattoo Kamilah had placed there, when accepting her into her clan. And once again, Amy felt connection. A distant link, but a link nevertheless. A connection wrapping around Kamilah all down the long years of her life. Amy felt Kamilah. The vampires love surrounded Amy. Tears flowed from her eyes, as she cried out “Oh my Kamilah. What have I become.”

With a wail, Amy falls to her knees, crying in despair. Guilt inundating her at the lives she has taken, and how close she had come to ending the life of her true beloved. Wrapping her own arms around herself Amy gives in to grief and guilt, rocking back and forth sobbing in despair. A second later, Kamilah kneels next to her, enveloping her in her own arms, holding the sobbing Amy, murmuring to her “Oh my Amy. We are together again. We are one. It was never your fault.” But Amy is inconsolable. She cries and cries, feeling deeper despair every second that Kamilah holds her.

Amy held herself tightly, rocking back and forth, her cheeks red and tears stream from her eyes. Her heart felt broken. She felt more than dirty. She felt broken, beaten and that she was not good enough to go on living. So much wrong had been done at her orders recently, and the guilt was overwhelming her. Amy now felt the weight of the lives she had controlled, and the weight of all the deeds done by other vampires, flowing through her memories. Having access to vampire memories, gave her access to their feelings, and now she was experiencing remorse from all the violent memories rattling around in her head. When she had a memory of a vampire taking pleasure in killing someone, she shared that feeling. Till now, she had ignored it, but with her heart and emotions waking up, Amy was inundated with guilt. The burden of human emotions were hers to bear once again.

For many long minutes Kamilah held Amy tightly, allowing the grief and guilt to run their course. Kamilah was at a loss on how else to help Amy. There was no way for her to assuage the guilt her lover felt. Amy had been through so much in a short time, and had given herself over to following someone who could only be described as dark. Kamilah knew what that was like, how it felt to give in to that darkness, to embrace it. Now Amy had done exactly what Kamilah had, but just not for so long. The vampire looked over Amy’s head, her brown eyes meeting a worried Adrian's glance. Adrian looked on with sympathy, but knew he was not in any better position to help, surrounded by guards as he was. All in the room stood as if in shock at the despair flowing from Amy. Kamilahs arms tightened around Amy, she placed her chin on Amy’s head, and rocked her, much as a mother would a child who was in pain. “Its ok Amy, let it out. Yes I know my love, I know how it feels, just let it go sweetie” Kamilah murmured over and over again. Yes Kamilah could understand a reaction even as extreme as the one Amy was having. Kamilah, herself, had not been quite so inconsolable, but then Amy had always been a much better person than Kamilah ever had. And they had been raised in vastly different times. Still Kamilah knew it would be a long, long road before Amy fully moved beyond the choices she had made recently. 

Lilly moved closer to Adrian. She longed to go over and console her friend, but was worried that she would not help and might make things worse. Jax stood next to her, and looked like he felt as helpless as the rest of them. All they could do was watch as Kamilah rocked their friend who sobbed mercilessly, her despair so evident, it caused tears to gather in all their eyes. 

Amy felt lost to everything. She had fallen into a tornado of grief. She felt Kamilahs arms around her, heard her beloved voice, but that actually made her feel worse. Amy felt unworthy of Kamilah’s affection, let alone her love. But still Kamilah just staying with her, holding her and murmuring soothing words seeped into her grief. Slowly the sobs lessened. Amy listened more to Kamilah’s voice. It was like a guiding light, and Amy clung to it desperately, using it to guide her back from the darkness. She threw her own arms around Kamilah and oh how wonderful it felt to hold her love again. Holding Kamilah, hearing her, smelling her all reassured her that her love was alive and that Amy had a second chance. Slowly her grief lessened. And then a faint step drew all their attention. With a start Amy lifted her head. Red rimmed eyes fell upon Rheya. Anger rose from within to replace the shame.

The first stood a few feet away looking upon the two women with scorn “You could have been something Amy. I would have raised you to new heights if you had chosen me.” Amy could only stare, anger roaring up within her. Anger at Rheya for lying to her, for tricking her, mingled with anger at herself, for allowing Rheya to influence her. Now she knew that it was Rheya who had pulled the light over her eyes. The original memory of Kamilah dying must have been tampered with and in her grief Amy had not noticed. She shrugged Kamilah off, standing slowly. Kamilah standing up, and taking a protective stance next to Amy. 

Red rimmed eyes turned red as Amy’s fangs extended. Amy pointed a finger at Rheya, righteous rage causing it to tremble as her eyes glowed white “You lied to me Rheya. You tricked me. You caused me to think my love was dead and most of all, you nearly had me kill her myself.”  
“Yes, but you failed”  
“Oh no Rheya. I have not failed yet. Failure would be letting you live. And that is something I will never do now. You will die by my hand Rheya. You will die and be forgotten” And as her eyes brightened, a brilliant white light formed around the hand pointed at Rheya. The first flinched back, alarm covering her face for a brief second and Amy snarled “You will not survive this night” and sarcastically, with a curl of her lips Amy finished “Mistress. And that is the last time you will hear that from my lips. Your reign is over”


	12. Endgame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy has discovered Kamilah is alive. What will happen next?

Amy stands before Rheya, just now realizing how much the woman had manipulated her, and how much she herself had betrayed her own beliefs. Rage filled Amy. Rage at her loss, rage at being fooled, but mostly rage at what Rheya had used her for. Amy’s eyes turned from red, to blinding white as she gazed at the first vampire. Lifting a hand, she directed a finger and energy lashed out, encasing Rheya. In her anger Amy had found the door to her power and was fully intent on unleashing it upon Rheya.

A noise causes her to turn, and she sees her friends overpower the few guards, rushing toward her. Lilly hugs her tightly and Amy hesitantly said “Lilly. Its really you?”  
“Yes you dafty, ofcourse its me. I am so glad to see you.”  
“Oh Lil I missed you”  
Before any other reunions could happen, there came a thud at the door. Amy looked at it, seeing it shiver, then turned back to Rheya, still encased in her energy  
“She must have called her guards”  
“We will take care of them” Kamilah flexes her arms, as Adrian, Jax and Lilly move closer to the door. Amy reaches out, grasping Kamilah by the arm “No. You can’t. They are strong.”  
“I have dealt with strong” Kamilah raised an eyebrow and nodded toward Rheya “besides I believe you will have your hands full.” Kamilah hesitated a second “what are you going to do Amy.”  
“I am going to end her Kamilah. Her time is past”  
The smile from Kamilah, was like the sun coming out, then Kamilah reaches inside her jacket “Here, you will need this” she held out the stake they had cut from the tree of eternal life, what felt like an eternity ago. Kamilah grins a bit “the guards were not very efficient in their search.”  
Amy almost chuckled at that, but she pushed the stake back “You keep that. You will need it, in case I fail.”  
“But what of you?”  
“Oh I don’t need that, love. In fact I am probably the only being who might be able to completely finish Rheya. No love. I want you to keep that, in case you need to use it on me.” 

Kamilah shook her head, taking a step back, uncertainty written on her face “I can’t. Don’t ask that of me Amy. I have only just found you again.”  
Amy reached out one hand, around Kamilah’s neck and pulled her in for a long, overdue, loving kiss. Damn, but it felt so good to have Kamilah’s lips on her again. Only Kamilah made it feel like she was kissing her entire body, and made every kiss feel like the first time. In fact her entire body shivered at the touch. Pulling back Amy smiled “I don’t intend for you to use it, but I will have to delve into some serious powers and I want to be prepared. Now you will have problems of your own. Like I said those guys currently breaking down the door are strong, far stronger than you think.”  
“About how strong exactly.”  
“More than Gaius level strong. Probably somewhere between what he was when you knew him, and what he became when he drank her blood” Amy nodded toward Rheya “she made them all.”  
“Nothing we can do about it, but fight. We will need to hold them off, at least until you have finished with her.”  
“Yes. But I can help with that.”  
“How?”  
Amy tilted her neck, using her left hand to pull hair out of the way “Drink from me Kamilah.”  
“What...Why?”  
“It will give you what you need” Amy smiled, then gently caressed the face she loved so much “only you have the strength of character to handle what you will get from me. You have the life experience, the wisdom and the strength to remain yourself and not give into the darker impulses. Only you can have this.” Amy glanced to her friends “they can have a little, diluted through you. But only you, my love, can handle my strength. Now drink from me love. Drink and be strong.”

Looking into Amy’s eyes Kamilah was reassured by what she saw, and smiling, she opened her mouth, extended her fangs, but instead of going for the neck she first placed a loving kiss on the soft lips of Amy. She kissed once, twice, three times, each time with more need, more hunger and more passion. Amy’s heart hammered at each kiss. Then Kamilah moved down, kissed Amy’s neck and gently punctured the skin, drinking from Amy. Amy gasped, the intense, intimate pleasure of giving of herself to Kamilah was almost too much to handle. Her hand, not aimed at Rheya, curled around Kamilah, holding her close and her breaths came in short gasps, as she whispered “Oh my Kamilah. I have missed you so much.”

After a couple of minutes, Kamilah pulled away from Amy’s neck with a gasp. Her red eyes already surrounded by a white glow. She held her hands out, looking at them, marvelling at the strength that poured through her with Amy’s blood. She closed her eyes, as Amy watched, then the younger vampire placed her hand over Kamilah’s heart and said “Keep hold of yourself Kamilah. You know who you are. You can maintain your core.” Kamilah threw her head back as power roared through her, energy flaring around her limbs, and then once more she opened her eyes, and now Amy saw the brown she loved so much. Yes it was surrounded by a white energy glow, but they were still Kamilah’s eyes. Amy smiled, leaned in and kissed Kamilah with passion, a passion that was returned. After another minute, Amy whispered in Kamilah’s ear “Share this with Adrian, Lilly and Jax. Go, hurry and help them. I will keep Rheya busy.”

Kamilah kissed her one more time “Be careful Amy”, then she rushed over to where Adrian and the others held the door to the throne room. With Kamilah gone, Amy turns her attention to Rheya. With a smile, the first reached out a hand, touched the edge of the energy surrounding her and pushed. With just a little effort she stepped through it. Amy let it dissolve to conserve her strength as Rheya said “You weakened yourself Amy. That was not a good idea.”  
“It’s not a bad idea either” shrugged Amy “I might have weakened myself, but I have shared my strength, which is how it should be. Power such as ours should not be kept so close. It should be shared.”  
“What sentimental drivel” Rheya scoffed “but it is of no matter. You weakened yourself for nothing. I am more than a match for you.”  
“Perhaps. We will see” Amy stretched both hands out to either side, concentrating. A pair of Sai daggers shook upon the wall, twitched, then flew across the room to land in Amy’s hands. Stepping into an offensive stance, one dagger high, the other low Amy said “Let us see who will survive.”

Rheya shook her head, a sad expression on her face “Oh Amy, Amy, Amy. You cannot best me darling. I am first.”  
“Then fight me” Amy charged, while Rheya reached out and a pair of sai daggers launched from the walls into her hands. She readied herself, and steel clashed on steel, as she blocked Amy’s thrusts and swings.

Back and forth the two fought, almost equal in speed, but Rheya was the faster of the two, by the faintest edge, and after a couple of minutes, Amy’s upper torso was laced with small cuts, blood flowing from them. Rheya stepped back “Amy, I beseech you. Give up and join me. You cannot beat me. Even at your strongest you were no match for me” Rheya inclined her head to where Kamilah and the others held off her horde of vampires “you gave up too much strength and now you are even weaker. I am faster Amy”  
Amy lunged, one dagger high, the other low, Rheya blocked them both, but Amy leaned back, her right leg sweeping up in between Rheya’s legs. Her foot connected, Rheya gasped in pain, off balance as Amy lunged forward, her head bashing Rheya in the face “You might be faster, but I have dirtier tricks” Amy grinned as Rheya staggered back, blood streaming from her broken nose.

A mere second later Rheya stood tall again, blood stopped flowing, her nose healed, while Amy’s wounds were closing more slowly. Nodding Rheya said “Impressive Amy, but it is not enough,” she threw both her daggers at Amy and the younger vampire had to leap and twirl through the air to avoid them. And suddenly more daggers, knives and spears flew through the air at Amy who had to vault and leap across the floor. Just as she was running out of floorspace, a knife stuck into her shoulder, throwing her back against the wall. Gasping, Amy pulled it out, but before she could make it upright Rheya stood before her, hand snaking around her throat “You gave it a good try Amy, but now I will have to kill you.”

Amy lashed out with her leg. It connected with Rheya’s thigh, not causing much pain, but enough to knock her off balance, while Amy reached up, grabbed Rheya’s wrist and wrenched the hand away from her throat. Dropping to the ground, Amy coughed to clear the pain from her throat, then stood tall. Rheya’s eyes flashed in anger, hands at her sides, palms facing Amy glowing white. Energy lashed out from those palms. Amy braced herself, bringing up her hands, crossing at the wrists and connecting with the energy that moved within her. A faint glow appeared, and the energy from Rheya bounces harmlessly off Amy, but Amy staggered gasping in pain. Rheya lashed out again, and Amy barely defended herself. Within minutes she had no more energy left and had to dance out the way of the next barrage. Rheya lashed out again and again, and Amy danced and leapt across the throne room, twisting through the air to avoid the energy firing at her. On one jump she mistimed it and caught a glancing blow that sent her spinning. Before Amy could even clear her vision Rheya stood above her, and once more grasped her by the throat, holding her high.

Looking into those eyes, Amy felt powerless to stop her. She had been to weak. Perhaps Rheya was right and she had given up too much strength to Kamilah. Pain roared through Amy, when Rheya thrust a dagger into her stomach. She cried out, choking on the pain. It felt worse than when Gauis had killed her. Once more Rheya thrust into her stomach, obviously she was going to take her time. Amy cried out again in agony. She was resigning herself to dying, when Rheya yelled in pain, dropping Amy. Amy tumbled to the floor, Rheya turned and a dagger stuck out from her back, as Kamilah stalked her “You will not touch her” hissed the 2000 year old “she is my Queen and you cannot have her.”

Slumping on the ground, Amy glanced up and saw Rheya advancing on Kamilah. Reaching out, she tried to speak, but it came out as little more than a gasp “No Kamilah. You can’t.” Kamilah didn’t hear her, concentrating on Rheya advancing. And in a flash Rheya stood in front of Kamilah, and both their arms became a blur of motion. Amy watched for a second, awed at Kamilah’s speed. She had fought and trained with Kamilah time and again, but obviously she had been holding back, for she was able to keep up with Rheya, even if only barely.

As fast as she was, Rheya did not have Kamilah’s experience. Rheya had been gone for more than 2000 years, while Kamilah had fought her way through to the present. She pulled upon all that experience, ducking under Rheya’s daggers, to swipe a sharp knife across her belly, then sweeping the legs, causing Rheya to jump over them, only to receive a slash along the upper leg, and then her chest as she landed. Rheya roared in anger, charging Kamilah like a bull. Kamilah, stepped adroitly out of the way, her foot stretched out tripping Rheya. Kamilah spun then, driving a knife into Rheya’s back. Rheya roared, flung an elbow back connecting with Kamilah’s face. Amy flinched, feeling pain for both of them, for she had been intimate with each.

Amy tried to get to her feet, but pain lanced through her abdomen and she lay on the floor gasping, while Rheya and Kamilah fought back and forth across the floor. Looking to her right she saw Adrian, Jax and Lilly fighting for their lives against 40 vampires. The strength they had received through Kamilah seemed to serve them well. Right now Amy felt like a liability again, just as she did before becoming a vampire. She was too weakened to do much of anything. Anger flooded her at that thought. She had to help. Gathering all her strength she forced herself to stand, leaning against the wall, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps. Placing a hand over her stomach, it was quickly covered in blood. That had to be stopped. Closing her eyes, Amy felt the energy that sparkled within her. Despite giving strength to Kamilah, there was still so much strength from within, strength she realised that she had not utilised. Feeling it, opening her mind to it, Amy channeled it. She felt the warmth flow down her arm, into her hand and then with a gasp she felt the wounds closing. After a second she removed her hand and saw the wounds mostly closed. They had not healed completely, but it would be enough. Now, all she had to do was find the strength to fight.

Taking a deep breath, closing her eyes Amy looked inward. She had felt energy when healing herself and her power was related to Rheya, so how was the first so much more powerful. Amy searched within. At the center of her being she saw what appeared to be darkness. It was something she had noticed before and had shied away from it, but now, desperation drove her and she opened her mind to it. Only then did she realise it was not darkness, it was brilliant light, surrounded by a darkness. Both existed in balance within her. From that source came a voice. Amy tried to listen, but the language was beyond ancient, beyond her understanding, but as it spoke she felt peace come upon her and focused not on the words, but how it made her feel. She listened to the feeling, the emotions and the images evoked by the voice.

Steel clashing on steel echoed throughout the room, pulling Amy from her trance. She looked intently at the fight between Rheya and Kamilah. Rheya had received several more wounds, but Kamilah was also bleeding from a few small wounds. Amy’s heart ached to see the love of her life struggling to defeat an enemy. As experienced as she was, Rheya’s greater strength and speed was beginning to take a toll on Kamilah. Obviously Kamilah had poured alot of adrenaline into her limbs to keep up initially and now it was wearing upon her. Rheya thrust, Kamilah blocked it, leaned back and swept up her right foot kicking Rheya in the chest, sending her flying. Kamilah jumping after her. Rheya landed on her back, and Kamilah plummeted groundward, but for all her speed, was too slow, as Rheya swept up her feet and kicked, catching Kamilah and sending her sprawling on the floor. Kamilah immediately leapt up, as did Rheya, but her arm had moved in a blur and then Kamilah staggered, her hand going to her chest. A steel dagger protruded from her chest. “Nooooo” Amy screamed. Rheya glanced around, throwing a smug look, but Amy’s eyes were on Kamilah and when she did not disintegrate into ash she breathed a huge sigh, Rheya had missed the heart. But Kamilah was off balance and Rheya was closing upon her, her left hand descending, a knife aiming directly for Kamilah’s heart. Amy gasped, reaching out. Time stalled for her as she focused on the knife.

With narrowed eyes, Amy watched the knife move through the air. It seemed to take forever. Her heart beat slowed to almost nothing. She was terrified of losing Kamilah again. There was no way she could survive that loss. Amy tensed, and power surged within her, and then she was moving.

Rheya grinned in delight as Kamilah staggered before her. She knew she had all the time needed to kill the insolent, so called blood queen. She was the faster, the stronger, she had all the time in the world, and Kamilah could not get out of the way of her knife. Rheya felt triumphant as the point of her dagger closed upon the area where Kamilah’s heart beat. Her fangs showed as her lips pulled back in a vicious snarl. She couldn't resist looking around though. Rheya glanced back, to throw another smug look at Amy. Her eyes widened when she could not find the younger vampire, and then a grip of steel wrapped around her wrist, halting her thrust less than an inch from Kamilah. With a snarl she turned back to see Amy standing beside her, holding her wrist, preventing her from completing the thrust. The younger vampires eyes glowed with energy, her gaze steely “No” Amy said evenly “you will not harm her”, and in flash she spun around and Rheya felt a foot connect to her head, sending her sprawling across the floor.

Amy stepped forward, slashing her hand downward “No Rheya. You are not allowed to harm Kamilah, or my friends. Your time is over.”  
“Who are you” Rheya snarled, clambering to her feet “to deny me.”  
“I am what is meant to be. You have misused your gift Rheya. Xenocrates was correct. Your power was a test, and it was one you failed.”  
“Xenocrates” she hissed  
“Oh he failed too. For after taking you out, he lived a life of vengeance for the next couple of thousand years, all to get Gaius. He misused his gifts and gave in to anger and revenge. But I am here now. My destiny was to be a counter to you.”  
“You were supposed to be my High Priestess”  
“No Rheya. You are wrong. You were supposed to remain the High priestess of Phampira, to be her prophet, to be her herald. You are not a Goddess and you never were. When you began misusing the gift, that is when my line was made. I am here to try to correct things, to right the balance. Your time is over.”

Amy held out both her hands, energy surrounding them. She moved them in a circular fashion, the energy expanding and increasing with her movements, and then she lunged. A brilliant ball of energy lashed out, surrounding Rheya. The first screamed as it touched upon her, surrounding her, coating her. She tried to break free, but could not and she screamed again. Amy turned to Kamilah, who was on one knee, pain and sweat covering her face. Leaning down, Amy gently caressed her beautiful face and suddenly the look of pain vanished from Kamilah as the dagger fell out of her chest and clattered to the floor. Smiling Amy reached out and gently kissed Kamilah. She kissed her again and once more, with passion and then Kamilah noticed Amy’s cheeks were wet. Reaching out she cleared the tears away with her thumb “What is wrong Amy? I am alive and well. You do not need to worry.”  
“That is not why I am sad my Kamilah.” Amy smiled through the tears “I love you so much and I am sorry that I failed you. I am sorry I gave up on you, on us.” she glanced at the light surrounding Rheya, then back to Kamilah a sad smile parting her lips “I understand things now. A bit late unfortunately. If I had understood before I might have had another course, but its to late for that. I know what I have to do.”  
“And what is that” Kamilah looked a bit worried now  
“Only I have the power to take out Rheya. She knew that all along. I did not, but now that I have given myself over to my gift, it came with understanding. I am here to remove Rheya, for she could not handle the power and misused it. As being the only vampire with power from the tree, only I can do this.” Amy hesitated, and could not meet Kamilah’s eyes “but once I start, I will not be able to stop. To undo Rheya will take all of my strength, every last little bit of it. I am sorry Kamilah. There is no other way.” She looked deeply into those brown eyes “Oh how I wish we had more time, or that we had made more of the time we had. It was not long enough. I am so glad I get to see you again, to lose myself in your eyes one last time. To feel your hand upon me, your lips on mine. And atleast I will end this all knowing you are alive and safe.”

Kamilah gasped in shock, her mouth open, she gripped Amy’s shoulders “No. No. No. You cannot leave me Amy.”  
“There is no other way”  
Kamilah shook her head in denial, trying to pull Amy back. She could not let the woman go. She saw in her eyes that this would be the end, and her heart broke at seeing that. She threw her arms around Amy, hugging her tight, crying “No my Amy. Please do not do this. I cannot live without you.” She pulled back, but only to kiss Amy. Kamilah kissed her lips hard, desperately, not wanting to let go of this moment.

Their lips locked together for a long minute. Amy felt Kamilahs desperation in that kiss and the way the vampire held her. Oh how she longed to stay in that embrace, to feel more of this, to be with Kamilah, but she knew time was running out. Pulling away Amy smiled once more, placed a hand against Kamilah’s chest and pushed her back a step “I love you Kamilah. Knowing that you are alive brings me peace” and then she turned away. She heard Kamilah cry from behind “No Amy. I cannot let you go” she felt a hand upon her shoulder, but then Kamilah snarled and cursed in pain, letting her go. All the energy running through Amy now made it impossible for anyone to come close.

Taking another step away, then another Amy stood within a foot of Rheya. She looked upon the first sadly “You were unique Rheya. You could have been so much. You could have brought healing and so much more to the world, but all you did bring was death and despair. Now it is time for you to end.” Amy gathered her power, the energy surrounding her glowed brilliantly and even Rheya had to turn away from it.

The brilliance of the light drew the attention of all in the throne room. Adrian, Jax and Lilly were able to stop fighting the vampires trying to get to Rheya, as they were distracted by the brilliance. Turning around the saw Kamilah standing just a few feet away from someone who was surrounded by white, brilliant energy. It took a moment, but then they realised who it must be within that light. Kamilah stood as close as she could, arm up blocking some of the light from her eyes. With a gasp Lilly raced to her side, trying to look through the light, but it burned so bright in her eyes that tears ran from them “Is that Amy?”  
“Y..y...yes” Kamilah stammered, eyes red from crying  
“What is she doing?”  
“Stopping Rheya”  
“But how?”  
“I do not know Lilly. I just know she is giving up everything to stop Rheya”  
“What will happen to her?”  
“I do not know Lilly, but I fear the worst”  
Looking at the older vampire, Lilly saw fear and supreme sadness in her brown eyes and her heart dropped “No. We can’t let her” she moved forward, reaching out, but pulled her hand back with snarl as the energy burned her  
“We cannot stop her.”  
Lilly felt a firm hand upon both shoulders, turning one way and the next she saw Adrian and Jax to either side. Adrian shook his head “It is Amy’s choice to do this. We have to believe she knows what she is doing.

Amy was only peripherally aware of any of this. The more she gave herself to the power, the less herself she became. Sadness, joy, fear, guilt, all of it feel away to be replaced with certainty. A voice sang within her mind, a voice filled with love, with energy, with strength. Amy reached out to that, opened herself to it and joined with the power. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the one to stop Rheya, and so continued to build her energy. Looking through that enegy Amy saw Rheya, but saw her in a way she had never seen before. She saw her at the atomic level, all the particicles that made her up. She saw the strength, the power and the energy that held Rheya together. Gathering her own strength she threw both hands forward. White, brilliant white light raced from her hands and struck Rheya in the stomach. That light raced over her body. Rheya’s body sparkled with energy, then cracks appeared in her skin, light shining from within. She struggled, but she was no match for what was happening now. Slowly but surely the cracks widened, Amy held her hands steady, then slowly spread them apart. As she did Rheya began to disperese, the individual moleculese of her body spreading outward to become one with the world.  
Amy felt Rheya’s end. She felt the consciousness that was Rheya disprese and go on to whatever waited for it after life. But once unleashed Amy’s power could not be contained. Her body started to sparkle. Looking at her arms, her hands, she saw the first crack appear, light bleeding from within. Not wanting to give up completely, Amy held on, trying to keep herself together. She turned, wanting one last glance. And she saw Kamilah, standing beside Lilly, Jax and Adrian. Her heart leapt to see them, but mostly her vision was drawn to Kamilah. Kamilah the beautiful older vampire who had become the center piece of Amy’s life. The vampire she had spent so much time and effort to win. Her heart longed to hold her one more time, but that would be impossible. Amy gasped in pain, the power tearing her apart “Good bye my friends. I love you. Kamilah I love you so much.”

Adrian and Jax held Lilly back, but neither of them watched Kamilah who lunged forward, embracing the energy that surrounded Amy as she cried “No Amy. It will not be goodbye. I will not let you go. Not again, not ever” Kamilah threw her head back, the energy surrounding Amy, latching on to her, undulating across her body. Pain wracked her, but she held on to her beloved Amy.

“Kamilah my love” Amy said sadly, her arms surrounding the vampire “you should not have done that.” Kamilah looked up into Amy’s eyes, and despite the pain smiled “I am with you, now and forever. One way or another. I will not live without you.”  
Amy caressed the face, as it started to sparkle the way her skin was “Oh my Kamilah.” And in that moment Amy tried to call back the power, but she was not strong enough, but the voice that sang in her mind previously now whispered to her “You can do it. That you were willing to sacrifice yourself is good enough. You can choose to live Amy. You can choose to accept the gift of love that Kamilah offers. Together you will have the strength to do anything.” 

And then Amy saw clearly. The choice to live was hers to make. And she saw within Kamilah. Having Kamilah drink from her had changed her more than she had thought it would, it made Kamilah more like her. Grasping on to that, Amy took hold of Kamilah’s hands and called out to her “Kamilah” she spoke, but Kamilah was crying out in pain at the energy tearing her apart. In desperating Amy sent out her mind. It quested forth and quickly found Kamilah’s mind, but it was screaming in pain. Gathering herself Amy shouted into that mind “Kamilah. Listen to me.” Kamilah opened her eyes in surprise, tried to speak but couldn’t and Amy sent another questing thought “Think to me love. I think we can stop what is happening, if we work together, but you need to open your mind to me.”

Instantly Amy felt Kamilah’s mind open. It was similar to what happened when she looked into vampires memories. A tunnel, red swirling energy filled with portals to memories, but as soon as Kamilah opened her mind, all the portals shrunk, the red tunnel vanished and now Amy stood in a cavernous room. It was neatly ordered with case upon case of books, that must represent all of Kamilah’s experiences. And then Amy felt a gentle hand upon her shoulder, spinning round she beheld a smiling Kamilah. Beautiful as always Kamilah stood unscathed, in her burgundy suit, her brown hair straight, her eyes lit from within with that gorgeous brown light that was her life. Amy flung her arms around Kamilah and felt her just as she would feel her outside of the mind. Their lips met in a passionate kiss and Amy felt Kamilah wrap her arms and she gave herself over to a long minute of kissing and loving the feeling of being wrapped in this love.

“Amy” Kamilah pulled back a bit, then shrugged and kissed her again “mmmm Amy. It is so good to feel you again, but we have to hurry” With one last kiss and smile Amy pulled back “Actually time does not pass here as it does in the real world.”  
“Really?”  
“Oh yes. I discovered that when I first started being able to walk through a vampires memories. It may feel like many minutes are passing, but really its less than a second. But you are still correct. We cannot waste the time.”  
“What are we doing?”  
“I was given to know that the choice to live was mine to make and that I could choose to accept the gift of love that you offer. The source of this power Rheya, I and now you have, is hopeful that with our love for one another, things might be different.”  
“And I would hope your being willing to sacrifice yourself would score you some points.”  
“Well that too yes” Amy nodded “but anyway it seems that together we have the strength to do almost anything.”  
“So what do we do?”  
Amy looked up into Kamilah’s warm brown eyes, gently caressed her beautiful face “We become one my love, one in mind, soul and heart and our power will work together.”

Adrian had watched in horror as Kamilah stepped up to the brilliantly glowing Amy. She moved inside the aura and he could only vaguely make out their silhouettes. He saw them hold hands, and stare into one another's eyes. What is going on in there? He wondered.

A moment later the light around them expanded, contracted, expanded again and then exploded outward. So brilliant and blinding was it that he had to cover his eyes and turn away. As did everyone else in the room. 

The light faded, Adrian turned back, blinking the tears from his eyes. It took a second for them at adjust and then he saw two figures standing where the light had been a second ago, and then both of them crumpled to the ground.


	13. A New Order - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a new order in the world. This idea had to be split in two parts, as I realized it was getting a bit long. In the wake of what she did to Rheya, what will Amy do next. How will her friends help her and how will the world react.

Darkness surrounded Amy, and yet she felt comforted, for within that darkness she sensed Kamilah with her. Memory was hazy. She recalled facing Rheya a moment ago, then she felt herself dying, coming apart at the seams. Then a second later Amy had felt Kamilah’s strong, reassuring presence and together they had worked on trying to contain the energy she had unleashed to defeat the first. But now what had happened? Where was she? This was all new to her.

The darkness changed, to become a swirling red tunnel. A place Amy was familiar with, as being the tunnel to memories. But this time it was different, it was vast, endless and there were so many portals ahead, behind and next to her. She was surrounded by memories, voices, screams and shouts leaching from all of them, becoming deafening. Amy longed to cover her ears, but with no hands, nothing would stop the screaming in her mind. The sheer amount of memories was overwhelming. Then she felt something. A strong, powerful, loving presence. She almost felt it enveloping her. Relaxing into it she breathed a word “Kamilah” and the loving, strong mind of Kamilah joined Amy and with that strength she slowly silenced the chaos around her. When it was silent she heard Kamilah’s mind “So this is what it's like to be in your mind!”  
“Partly” Amy thought to the surroundings “this is more though. I think we have opened me up to all vampires memories at once.”  
“It is a lot”  
“That it is Kamilah. Thank you for helping me, for being with me.”  
“You are welcome love. But I am tired. I need to rest”  
And the beacon that was Kamilah dimmed to a small glow, her mind seemingly tired from helping stem the flow of memories for Amy. And once again she was almost alone in the darkness.

Light grew in the distance, and she felt an urge to travel toward it. Still sensing Kamilah, she latched onto that feeling and dragged it along with her. How she could move was still a mystery to Amy, but willing it seemed to work. The light grew closer and closer and then surged toward her, surrounding her. 

Blinking to clear her vision, Amy looked up and saw Adrian hovering over her. Looking to her left she saw Kamilah opening her eyes. Kamilah smiled and Amy’s heart leapt in relief. Leaning down she threw her arms around Kamilah, kissing her. Their lips met, the kiss quickly turning passionate as the two women held each other close for several long seconds. Finally Amy recalled Adrian, she turned to him with a sheepish smile, then said “It is good to see you boss.”  
“It is good to see you too Amy. And I am even more glad you are alive and well.”  
Holding out both hands, to them, he helped both Amy and Kamilah to their feet. Amy looked around, then said “What happened to all the other vampires?”  
“They fled when you did whatever you did to Rheya” Adrian replied  
“Yeah, they totally bugged out when you disintegrated the bitch”  
Amy turned to Lilly “Ah Lil, it is so good to see you” she dropped her eyes “I am sorry for letting you all down.”  
“Don’t worry about it bestie” Lilly hit her on the shoulder “alls well that ends well.”  
“Lilly is right” Jax spoke up “whats important is that we all came through it.”

Amy blinked tears back from her eyes, emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Then she turned as Kamilah rested a gentle hand upon her shoulder. Seeing the beautiful vampire, Amy’s heart raced “I missed you so much Kamilah. It still feels like years since we were together.”  
“All will be well in time. I am just thankful we have time on our side now.”  
“Ah guys” Lilly interrupted from the bank of monitors she had wandered over to look at “I am not sure we do have time.”  
“What do you mean?” Amy turned to her, seeing her friend point to the monitors  
“Well, these are still showing that vampires are still running around causing all sorts of chaos. Wouldn’t they have stopped, when Rheya died, same as the guys here?”

Frowning Amy looked at the monitors, studying what they were showing. Some indeed did show pictures of pitched battles between vampires and armed soldiers of various countries. “I don’t understand” Amy muttered “why are they not stopping?”  
“Could it just maybe be a matter of time. Maybe the message will get to them in a few minutes.”  
“I don’t think so Lil. The link to Rheya should have been severed immediately.”  
“What makes them different from the vampires here?” Kamilah asked her  
Amy thought a long moment, then her eyes widened “The vampires here were directly under Rheya’s control. The ones out there, well she needed me to reach every vampire in the world. It was a joint effort.”  
“So can you get them to stop?”  
“I don’t know Kamilah”  
“You should try”  
“Right enough”

Lowering herself to the floor, Amy crossed her legs and maked herself as comfortable as possible. Recently she has had practice opening herself up to all Vampire memories. It is never easy, often noisy, but it is possible to do. Granted with her previous attempts she had either Rheya or Kamilah with her. This time it was all on her. Closing her eyes Amy and taking a deep steadying breath she concentrates on calming her racing heart. Feeling a pair of hands, Amy glances up and is reassured by Kamilah’s presence. For a split second her mind soars into the past and her first days as a vampire, and how it always felt so right to be around Kamilah.

Focusing on the past training, Amy slows her heart, one beat at a time, her heart begins to slow until it almost stops. She enters the calm area where a vampire can almost vanish into the background, and then she opens her mind. Seconds later the red tunnel surrounds Amy’s consciousness. Walls undulating, and then portals open all around her. Sounds leak from the portals, voices, screams, screeches as all vampire memories become available to her. As she did with Rheya Amy opens her mind further, not concentrating upon any one memory, but just focusing on touching every single mind that creates that memory.

Time passes and then Amy opens her eyes “I...I can’t do it.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I mean I can’t do it Kamilah” Amy rubs her temples, while Kamilah gently massages her shoulders. Taking solace in that touch Amy sighs “sorry I didn’t mean to snap. They are not listening to me. It took both me and Rheya to relay the instructions before. She needed me for the range, and I needed her for her presence. The previous instructions were delivered by a virtual Goddess. I have no chance.”  
“What can be done?”  
“Nothing Kamilah. Rheya is gone, we have no one like her. I mean let's face it, even you felt what it was like to be in her company. She had an aura that almost compelled you to kneel and worship her. I don’t have that. And I don’t have the strength to override her instructions.”  
“What exactly are you saying to them out there” Kamilah waved in the direction of outside  
“I am telling them they can stand down and their lives are their own again, and relaying that instruction into every mind at the same time, but it is being…” Amy sighed in frustration “I don’t know how to explain it exactly. But its kinda like Rheya’s previous instructions are louder than mine.”  
“So you need to make yours louder?”  
“In a sense yes, but I don’t have the strength, particularly not after what has happened. I would need to rest for days before I would be back to my full strength and even then I doubt it would be enough.”  
“So what if you have more than one person with you.”  
Amy glanced up, smiling softly “Are you offering?”  
“You know I am” Kamilah smiled down at Amy “together we dispersed the energy that was tearing you apart. Together we can try this.”  
“You never know until you try, I guess. You have been inside my mind a couple of times, so you know what it's like. But this will need to be more than that. Previously you have been inside my mind, for this we essentially have to join our two minds to become one.”  
“How do we manage that?”  
“Before I had Rheya guiding me. This time I will need help” Amy smiled and spoke louder “Serrafine. I need your help.”

Only silence followed that spoken request, the others looked on in surprise, but Amy smiled wider “Its ok Serafine, I know you are there. I know you were the one to hide Kamilah and the others from me. Right now we need you. You don’t have to trust me, but you can trust Adrian” Amy turned to Kamilah “give Adrian the stake. He can have it ready to end me just in case.”

A moment later Serafine entered the throne room, as Adrian moved behind Amy holding the stake “How did you know I was here Cherie?”  
“I figured you had come to Mydiea to continue hiding Kamilah and the others from me. It was easy enough for you to do because I thought them dead, but if you had not hidden them, I would have sensed them eventually. So you had to be here. Anyway I need you. Together Kamilah and I will try to get the vampires to stand down, but I need you to bridge our two minds. This cannot be a case where one mind is dominant over the other. It has to be a shared consciousness.”

Serafine nods in agreement, steps up beside the two sitting vampires. She placed a hand upon Amy’s head, and one upon Kamilah’s. Both Amy and Kamilah close their eyes. In Amy’s mind she senses Serafine, then she spies the bridge the psychic forms. Amy’s mind is translating what it perceives into images she can easily understand and so looking down she sees her physical form at the foot of the bridge, and with ease she steps up onto the glowing bridge, walking toward the center of its arch.

Approaching the center, she sees a figure coming toward her. A familiar figure, clad in burgundy suit, shoulder length brown hair and a lythe, gorgeous, awe inspiring figure. Amy can’t help but stop to admire it for a long moment. It is Kamilah, but more so. In this realm of the mind, Kamilah is even more awesome than in reality, she literally sparkles. Smiling Amy continues walking and the two meet in the middle of the bridge. Reaching out they clasp hands. Kamilah looks around “Well this is different than I expected.”  
Amy laughs gently “Your mind is interpreting the experience into something you can understand.”  
“Ah, and I am supposed to understand this?”  
Amy laughs again “Well it's probably easier to comprehend than what is really occurring. The two of us represent our own minds” Amy glances down “the bridge represents Serafine. We are all sharing this journey”  
“So what now?”  
“Now, we use our combined strength and my bloodkeeper ability to reach out to every vampire in the world.”

Seconds later the surrounding grey area took on the red hued tunnel that was the path Amy used to reach vampires memories. Portals sprang up all around, voices coming from each one. With focus Amy managed to turn down the volume. Using the bridge Serafine provided and Kamilah’s strength she reached out to the portals, relaying the news of Rheya being gone, and the vampires could stand down and live their own lives. But try as she might nothing changed.

With a gasp Amy opened her eyes and saw Kamilah, sitting across from her also open hers. Serafine still stood beside them, a hand upon each of their heads. Amy shuddered with fatigue “It is not working.”  
“Evidently not” Kamilah replied  
“Yeah, nothings changed here” Lil spoke from the bank of monitors  
“Damn it. I don’t know what else to do”  
“Exactly what are you telling them?” Kamilah asked, still holding her hands, thumbs gently stroking. Amy took a second to enjoy the feeling of Kamilah’s touch before replying “I am telling them that Rheya is gone and they can stop fighting and live their own lives.”  
Kamilah frowned at that, and Amy said “What? Is something wrong with that?”  
“Maybe” Kamilah glanced off at the far wall, then back to Amy, her look guarded, hesitant as she slowly said “they received their initial instructions from their Goddess. They are not hearing you, because their Goddess commanded them. They will need more than just being given back their lives.”  
“What are you suggesting Kamilah” Amy looked concerned  
“Vampires respond to authority, particularly one stronger than they are. They got word from their Goddess, but she is not here to countermand it.”  
“I know and that's the problem” Amy griped  
Kamilah’s hands tightened a little on Amy’s “But you are. You are the next best thing to their Goddess, and you were the one who vanquished her. You will have to command them.”  
“No Kamilah. You can’t ask that of me.”  
“You have to Amy. Obviously they are not listening. You must show them that you are more powerful than the Goddess that gave them their initial instructions. Only then will they hear you. They are running on those instructions, and on adrenaline and bloodlust. There is probably also concern over repercussions from the governments of the world.”

Amy fell silent, worry gnawing at her. There was sense in what Kamilah said, but how could she pretend to be something she was not. The vampires would be worried now. What if when they stood down, the governments decided that they had caused too much trouble. Even the American government might turn against the agreements they had made with the council. Vampires might not be safe anywhere out there now, particularly with the general populace being aware of their existence. She was concerned that getting the vampires to stand down would make them vulnerable and so they would continue to refuse. Perhaps there was only one way to keep everyone safe. Amy just had to be strong enough to go down that route.

Making a decision, Amy took a deep breath, and nodded to Kamilah. Both women closed their eyes, stepped out onto the bridge formed by Serafine. Amy met Kamilah in the center, took her hands and used her strength. Reaching outward she touched the mind of every vampire out in the world, passing along her instructions. Kamilah was not completely aware of what Amy was saying since the young vampire kept it a murmured conversations, but as soon as their eyes opened Lilly spoke up “Whatever you did worked. Everyone is standing down.”  
“Good” Amy looked up, rolling her shoulders to loosen them “but there is more to do. Lil can you get me access to what Rheya used to hack into all broadcast media.”  
“Yeah. I can do that. The protocols are still there, should be easy enough” Lilly tapped some keys for a few minutes, then looked up with a grin “And there we have it. What are you planning on doing?”  
“I need to tell the people of the world that the Vampires are standing down and that we want peace.”  
“Cool, cool” Lilly nodded “but you might want to consider a change of clothes first” she looked Amy up and down “I mean it's super sexy and all, but ya know, kinda the vampire goth priestess vibe your giving off.”  
Amy looked down at the attire she still wore, the outfit picked out by Rheya, one designed to show almost all flesh, and she flushed as all eyes turned to her. Kamilah grinned “It is very sexy love, but Lilly is right. It might be better to change.”  
“I would love to, but don’t exactly have any choices.”  
Kamilah grinned more, as Serafine came back into the room carrying a bag “I figured you might need something a bit more comfortable” Inside the bag was a variety of Amy’s clothes. She searched through it, sighing in relief, then turned to Kamilah “I could kiss you.”  
“Well what’s stopping you.”  
And Amy stood up, leaned forward and kissed Kamilah deeply on the lips.

Minutes later Amy stepped back into the throne room wearing a more business like skirt and blouse. Much less intimidating. And without saying anything to anyone, she just nodded to Lilly who pressed a button and whispered “Your on.”

Amy stood straight, waiting a second, then with a deep breath “You may remember me from the previous broadcast. Some things have changed since then. I have deposed Rheya, and she is no more. We are free of her control. And furthermore the vampires have been ordered to stand down.” Amy hesitated, then took another deep breath before continuing “I have taken control and I have commanded the Vampires to stand down and withdraw from your countries.” This was followed by a collective gasp from Kamilah, Lilly, Jax, Adrian and Serafine. Amy motioned them to stay silent as she continued “I wish my people to have a peaceful withdrawal and I am wanting to negotiate a peace between the world and the newly emerging Vampire nation. I will contact the leader of each country and we can arrange a peace conference, to take place in a few weeks. Right now I need to focus on bringing my people to me, and stabilizing this country. I will be arranging release of any prisoners, but again I request patience while this is all being sorted out.” Amy took a firmer stance, tightening the muscles and took on the appearance of being unmovable, as her face turned stern “While my Vampires are withdrawing, I will ensure there is no violence perpetrated by my people and I would request the same from the people of the world. Any unwarranted violence toward my people will be viewed as an act of aggression and will be met with aggression. I will not tolerate violence by my people, or toward my people.”

Amy motioned to Lilly who hesitated a second, then pressed a button to kill the feed. All stared at Amy in shock. Kamilah recovered first “What are you doing Amy?”  
“You told me that Vampires would only respond to authority, so I became their authority.”  
“But to bring them here and claim to be a nation. Is that wise?”  
“Wise or not, I thought it best. If I got the vampires to stand down, they would no longer be safe out there, especially now that everyone knows about them. I am pretty sure that even the agreements with the council would no longer be honored. So I called them home. Atleast here, I can protect them.”

Amy can feel her friends staring at her. She can certainly understand their trepidation. She is setting herself up to pretty much be the ruler of a new Vampire nation, a dangerous idea. Still Amy knows she cannot do it alone, and she turns to face them “Look I know its a huge risk and I could be asking for trouble, but I also know that to make this work, I need you all on board” she looks to Adrian “I need your ideas, your wisdom and every bit of your business acumen, but mostly I need your friendship”, then to Jax “and you my friend, I absolutely need your help in keeping some of these vampires in check. You are a valued leader in your own right, you led the clanless and lifted them up to new heights. I need you.” to Lilly Amy smiled, held out her hands, and without hesitation Lilly held them “Lil, you have been my best friend since I came to New York. I need your help. I need your savvy tech help, I need your optimism, your fun and your support.” Amy saved Kamilah for last, and turned to the older vampire. Her feelings fluctuated, and she looked at Kamilah with her heart in her eyes “My Kamilah. I only hope I can once again earn the privilege of calling you that.”  
“You do not need to re-earn it Amy. You never lost it.”  
“Be that as it may, I feel that I do. But you my love, I need you most of all. I am lost without you. You keep me on the right path. You give me strength and stability. Without you I am nothing and my life is over.”  
Kamilah stepped forward, took Amy’s hands in her own and smiled “You, Amy, have always been remarkable. You have always fought for what you thought was right. I love you and will always stand with you.”  
Looking around the others Kamilah nodded to them and each of her friends nodded in return, stepping up to place a hand on Amy’s shoulders and practically as one said “We are always with you.”

Tears filled Amy’s eyes and love filled her heart, love and gratitude. She was beyond grateful that Kamilah and her friends were alive, and that they had come for her, found her and fought for her. This group was the most important group in Amy’s existence. Movement caught her attention and she saw Serafine. Amy smiled tremulously “What about it Serafine? Will you stay and help me?”  
“Help you how?”  
“Help me learn about myself, my abilities, and help me stay myself” she looked around her friends “I believe that working together we can guide this new nation to a better path.”  
“I will help you cherie. I believe you have good intentions.”  
“Thank you all. Now first step. We need to take care of the people imprisoned on Rheya’s orders.”  
“That is something that troubles me Amy” Adrian spoke up “the logistics of setting up a nation, and we will need sustenance.”  
Amy smiled “I do have a couple of ideas. First of all, how would you and Kamilah think about moving your corporate offices here. I seriously doubt the other countries in the world would want to lose all the income you both generate, so having that here will be helpful.”  
“I am fine with it” Kamilah nodded  
“As am I”  
“Thank you. That will provide is with some resources. And we have access to the ancient wealth of the Kings of Mydiea. Now as for the sustenance. I do have an idea. Come.”

Amy led them out the throne room, down various corridors, and stairs, into the darkened underbelly of the palace. She lifted up a hand as she descended and it started to glow, shedding a soft light around her and the group. The further down they moved, the more sounds they heard. Finally they emptied into a large room, with a huge cage at the far end, filled with humans.  
“What do you have in mind Amy?”  
“Trust me Kamilah” Amy smiled “It's a good idea.”  
She closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind, finding the particular Vampires she was looking for, then the memories. A moment later, she opened her eyes and stepped up to the cage. Without much preamble she said “Rheya has been deposed. I have taken control of this area.” she halted a second, then continued “Apologies are not sufficient for what I played a hand in doing to you all, but I offer them all the same. I am sorry. Now that Rheya has gone, a new regime is under way. I am going to arrange for your freedom and return to your homes” she gestured to a nearby vampire “You will rehouse these people, give them access to food, water, bathing facilities and anything else they need.” then turning back to the group Amy continued “Now, I give you my word that you can return home. But I also have an offer” 

Amy took a deep, steadying breath. This was the thing she had been most worried about. Why would any of these people trust her. Why would they even want to help her. But she lifted her gaze and felt a surge of confidence and the next words she spoke sounded silken and smooth, power flowing with them “I would like to offer any and all of you employment” There was a collective gasp, and then one person hustled forward “Why should we believe you?”  
“I don’t blame you. You have not been treated well, and I did play a part in that. But my true beliefs are different than Rheya’s. I believe in working together. If you want to stay and work, you can, if you want to go home, you can. It's your choice.”

There was a murmur from the group, then some movement and then a weakened woman spoke up “I believe her.”  
All eyes turned and Amy recognized her, a hand going to her chest as she gasped. She was still alive. The woman pointed to Amy “This one did everything she could to keep me alive. That Rheya, she used me to try and get her to kill me, but each day Amy took less and less. Weakening herself as a result.” As soon as the woman stopped , more spoke up recalling kindnesses enacted by Amy, either more food, longer rest. Amy turned to Kamilah, surprise evident in her expression “I remember none of this, except on taking less blood from that woman. What do you suppose is going on.”  
Kamilah placed a gentle hand on Amy’s shoulder and said “Even when at your darkest there was a part of you that could not help but be kind to people.”

Turning back to the group of humans, Amy raised her hand “If I was helpful to any of you in some way, then I am grateful that I was. My offer remains.” she pointed to one in front “You, which region are you from and what is your work?”  
He looked on with surprise, then said “Thebes. I am an engineer, for a private company. My specialty was building design” Amy smiled encouragingly, and looked into the memory of a vampire from that area, then offered the man a job at around twice the rate of pay he received at home  
“You would do that?”  
“Yes and that's just the beginning. You can live and work here. If you have family they  
can come too.”  
“Why?”  
“I won’t lie to you,” she shrugged “this is a new nation with very little resources,” she  
waved her hand around her “we are vampires, but I want a nation of more than just vampires.”  
“And the feeding?”  
“Yes, well” Amy took another deep breath “this is something we need to address” power  
overlayed her voice, she could feel it, but had no idea where it came from. Then from within her own mind she heard a faint laugh “Well where do you think I would have went darling? You chose to live. The energy that was me had to go somewhere;”  
“Rheya?” Amy gasped in her mind  
“Ofcourse darling. But think of the benefits. You can use the powers I had to  
Sway people.” 

Searching within herself Amy felt the very powers the voice of Rheya spoke of. Amy’s power had been related to Rheya’s, but still somewhat different, perhaps because she had the power while being human, and not directly from the sap of the tree. While she had abilities similar to Rheya, this was now something new. She was not sure how she felt about using it on people. Maybe it took away their freedom of choice, but without any effort the power rose within her, answering her need, and almost instinctively Amy directed it

Hardly missing a beat, Amy looked up and let that power flow out in her voice, the power to sway people, for them to trust her and believe in her. She smiled “As vampires we do need blood. And yes I would like it if the people who choose to work here agree to donate” she raised a hand “however, it will have to be absolutely consensual. If you do, it will be in your contract and you will receive bonuses. If you do not consent, then we want you to stay and work still. Please think about it.” 

Amy looked around. Along with Kamilah and her friends, there were a few more vampires she recognized from their clans. Her eyes widened “Nikhil. You are here?”  
“Oh yes Miss Amy. When Miss Kamilah said they were coming, I had to make sure they brought me too.”  
“I am glad my friend. I could use your assistance.”  
“Of Course Miss Gia, I am at your service.”  
“Please see to these peoples needs, food, housing etc” she glanced to Adrian and Kamilah “can you too see who wants to stay etc. You both have experience starting companies and hiring people.”  
All three nodded, then Amy looked to a vampire standing off by the wall. She recognized him as a vampire created by Rheya. She gestured for him to approach “What is your name?”  
“Its Michaela your Majesty” he almost bowed.  
Amy tensed, opened her mouth to refuse the title when she felt a hand grasp her arm, squeezing it. Looking to her right she saw Kamilah shake her head in the negative. Wondering what Kamilah was up to, Amy shrugged slightly, turned back to Michaela “when these cells are empty please seal them for a while. I want them turned into something else, but for right now, just make sure they cannot be used.”  
“At once your Majesty”

While the mortals were led from the cells, Amy stepped aside, pulling Kamilah with her “Why did you want me to stop.”  
“He recognized your authority. You deposed Rheya, but have not taken her place as Goddess, so the next best thing to him would be Queen. I thought it best to maintain that appearance. Vampires respond to strength. You have shown yourself stronger than Rheya, but you need to maintain that strength and set yourself as the final authority. So allowing him to think of you as a Queen seemed like a good idea.”  
“I have misgivings about that.”  
“I know Amy. I know you don’t want to give in to arrogance, darkness, but you chose to bring the Vampires here, to build a nation, and for that they will need a leader. You.”  
“Very well” Amy sighed deeply after a long moment of thought “I will accept your wisdom my love.”  
Kamilah smiled “That is a good thing. Now I will go help Adrian get these people signed up.”  
“Thank you” she leaned in and kissed Kamilah tenderly, but it was all too short, before it had to end. Amy turned to Lilly “Lil can you check on the tech in the area. There is a room where the servers are located. Vampires were working on all that before, not sure what's happening now, but I would like to know where we stand with everything.”  
“I will go find it and let you know.”

Standing in the silent empty cells, Amy stared up the dark stairwell “What have I gotten myself into” she whispered to herself, but received no answer, not even from Rheya. Shrugging she started up the stairs, closing the door behind her she made her way back to the throne room. Looking at the room, she frowned and thought ‘I really need to have this set up differently’ and then feeling the need for quiet and air, she stepped over to the balcony, opened the tinted glass doors and stepped out. Dawn was approaching, the horizon becoming light. Amy leant against the balcony in quiet thought for a moment.

“Rheya” she thought “are you there?”  
“Ofcourse I am darling. Where else would I be?”  
“I have no idea. I didn’t expect you to be inside my head to begin with.”  
“You chose to live my darling, the energy you released to destroy me had to go somewhere if you were to live, and so you were available. And as you have access to my memories from when I lived, well, the energy that is me, and the memories are as one, and so I live in you.”  
“You seem different”  
“I am. I am no longer tainted by my darkness. You have all that power now”  
“So now I have to fight it all.”  
“That is something you can do Amy. You have finally realised that its just power. It is not dark or light, its what we do with it that makes it either good or evil. All of that darkness comes from our capacity for it. It has nothing to do with the power. Having power only makes it easier to do dark deeds. If you take short cuts, then that can lead to darkness.”  
“Which is why I cannot use your skill to persuade people.”  
“Its not a skill, its just people realising they feel better listening and being close to you. It is people realising that following you makes them happy.”  
“But still using that would be the easy way out. Nothing worthwhile is gained in such an easy manner.”  
“But you are passing up a golden opportunity. Before you dismiss the idea, listen to me. Me, Guaius and you, we all want the same thing. A safe place for Vampires, but both Gauis and I went about it the wrong way, I did twice. But now your way is amazing. Form your very own nation. It will be easier if you allow your gifts to flourish, then people will follow you.”  
“You are missing the point Rheya and missing why you went completely the wrong direction. Yes doing it without that will be difficult and hard, but that will make it all the more worthwhile. No, in this I will not agree. I need to learn how to control it, but that's just so I do not inadvertently use it again. It flared up almost instinctively, I need to control that.”  
“Whatever you think best Amy, but just think what would have happened if I had come to New York in peace and used my gift. I could have made it a safe haven.”  
“But you didn’t. I need to be careful to not make the same mistake”

Amy had become so deep into the conversation that she had not noticed the time pass, until a voice called her from behind. Turning she saw Kamilah standing just inside the doorway, avoiding looking at the horizon. Kamilah was gazing at Amy half in fear, and half in awe. “Amy, you need to come in, the sun is rising”  
“I’ll be ok” Amy shrugged  
“No” Amy smiled “it was something that came with my abilities, but Rheya woke it up for me. Do you need something?”  
“Yes Adrian and I have finished talking to the former prisoners, Jax and Lilly have completed their reviews too. They are waiting for you.”  
Amy made to move away from the balcony, when a thought occurred to her. She stopped and looked out at the sun light streaking down upon the city, she was going to call home. Then she glanced at Kamilah. She could already sense the power awakening in her and so she smiled, extending her hand “Come here Kamilah”  
“What. No” Kamilah stepped back “you know I can’t”  
“Trust me Kamilah”  
Kamilah hesitated, and Amy looked at her, heart in her eyes “I want to show you something Kamilah. Trust me please.”  
Kamilah hesitated another second, took a deep breath and stepped out onto the balcony. Amy took her hands, pulling her close, kissing her lovingly. “I so missed kissing you”  
“I missed it too. What is on your mind”  
“I have something I need to tell you. I will tell the others too, but wanted you to be the first to know. I will no longer keep anything from you. For too long I kept the visions from you, and that was a mistake.”  
“What do you need to tell me?”  
“Rheya is within me”  
Kamilah gasped, stepping back, but still holding Amy “What..How?”  
“It happened when I chose to live. I was given to know that because I was willing to sacrifice my life, that I had the choice to live. The power I let out that took Rheya apart, well all the energy mingled together and when I chose to live, it had to go somewhere. Added to that is the fact that I have access to her memories, so a part of her is within me. She is changed somewhat, but I wanted you to know.”  
“Is that how the former prisoners listened to you?”  
“Yes” Amy sighed, her expression downcast “and that is also why I wanted you and Adrian to interview them. I wanted to remove myself from that part, so they could make the decisions by themselves.”  
“So you have a gift to enthrall people, but decided not to use it” Kamilah smiled “that is a good thing,'' then her glance turned to the horizon “now can we get inside.”  
“A minute” Amy managed a smile “I want you to experience something” and just as she said that the first rays of the sun broached the horizon. Kamilah shied away from it, covering her face, expecting to feel the discomfort, the pain, but then in amazement she lowered her hand “What...How….What is going on?”

Amy all but grinned at Kamilah, who stared at the sun, then herself, in shock, then she turned to Amy, and seeing no effect on her finally gasped “The sun doesn't harm you. Are you keeping me safe.”  
“Yes, and No” Amy still grinned  
“But…”  
Amy silenced her with a kiss, then pulled back “I was sure this would happen. It is one of the gifts that come with your increased power my love.”  
“But how?”  
“I always had the ability, but it took Rheya to wake it up. When you drank from me, you took on more strength power, and a few gifts. I imagine more gifts will manifest themselves in time.”  
“I wonder what kind of gifts I have, and will have”  
“What you will have, I do not know, but right now, well you have strength” Amy waved to the sun “and can be out during the day, and then this” she leaned in kissing Kamilah deeply, their mouths opened, tongues flowed in and out of one anothers mouths, and then their minds connected. Kamilah gasped as she felt the kiss from both ends, she felt what her nerves registered and felt what Amy was feeling. The feelings cycled around and around, and she lost herself in the kiss, until Amy pulled away, smirking a little. “And that my love, is another gift”  
“Our….Our minds connected. I am psychic now?”  
Amy nodded, grinning widely “And now, lets get inside and see what is what.”


	14. A New Order - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter in Meet the Parents. I am working on another Bloodbound story, it will continue on from this story. It will be a few weeks before I have the first chapter completed - in the meantime. Enjoy
> 
> Amy, Kamilah and her friends have to decide on their next course in forming a new Vampire nation. And Amy still needs a proper reunion with Kamilah.

Amy and Kamilah stepped into the throne room, Amy closing the doors behind them. Adrian and the others looked at the pair of them in awe as they stepped from the sunlight.  
“Woah” Lilly pointed at both of them “this is new. Is this a thing we are doing? Coming in from sun?”  
“I wouldn’t suggest you try it just yet” Amy smiled at her friend “but since you drank from Kamilah, well some new gifts might manifest in time” Amy frowned a little “to be entirely honest I have no idea what will happen.” she shrugged “I am the first Vampire Bloodkeeper and I also carry Rheya’s blood in me, so it could be interesting to find out what happens”  
“Interesting is maybe not the word I’d choose. What if I get horns” Lilly hands went to her head “which while, ok that could be cool, I could live without them.”  
Amy grinned “Oh Lil. Never change. But I don't think you have to worry about horns.”  
“Now before we get started, there is something I need to tell you all. I let Kamilah know and now I am going to share with all of you.”

Amy hesitated, glancing down at the floor. Kamilah moved closer to her, slipping a hand inside hers, interlocking their fingers, and squeezed reassuringly. Taking strength from that, Amy lifted her gaze to meet her friends “Ok, so you need to know that a part of Rheya still exists” they looked surprised, and Amy lifted her free hand to press it against her chest “inside me.”   
“What do you mean?” demanded Jax  
“Is it like possession of the body snatchers, can vampires be body snatchers”  
“Perhaps we should give her a second to finish” Adrian replied dryly  
Amy looked at him, smiling in thanks, then with a deep breath said “When I was using my ability to disperse Rheya, it took all my effort. I thought that I would have to die at that point too and I accepted that” she glanced at Kamilah, smiling shyly “but someone convinced me there was a reason still to live. But even then I didn’t think it possible. However in that moment I was given to know that I had a choice. My willingness to sacrifice was enough to satisfy” Amy searched for a term, and LIlly bounced on the balls of her feet interrupting “Oooo, ooo the powers that be”  
Amy grinned at her friend “As good a term as any, I reckon. When I thought Rheya would kill Kamilah, I delved into the depths of my power and that's when I got the knowledge that she had misused the gift as it was intended. When I was willing to die to destroy her, that same personage let me know that I had the choice, and I could live if I wanted to. The fact that someone loved me enough to want me back, was a sign that I might be able to be what they desired” Amy shrugged “I don’t really know how much of this I accept, but it's all just a feeling, a knowledge that came into my mind. However, I just recently found out that when I chose to live, the energy that was Rheya was mixed up with my own energy and it had to go somewhere” she pressed the hand back to her chest “inside me. And since I already had access to her memories, well what is a person but the sum of their memories and the energy that binds them together. So essentially her consciousness is within me.”

“Do you really think they are real. Gods I mean?”  
Amy turned to Jax, and shrugged “I don’t know for sure, but look at what we already see. Vampires are real, we know about Werewolves, and look at what we saw in Vegas. When I was using my power on Rheya, and then decided to live, I had visions, things I do not completely understand. I saw other supernatural beings, beings from another level of reality, with a sanctuary of sorts in this world, a place where their realm and ours interconnect. I saw that and so much more, a people using elemental magic that comes from elemental sources. All of that seemingly exists. And I know that no one was supposed to drink the sap of the tree, that is not what the tree is for” Amy looked lost in thought, searching for a way to explain “it's more like a tether, or something. I don’t understand the nature of that, but that's what I feel. But when Rheya drank from it, became immortal they higher beings decided to see what would come of it. When she misused it, and so did Xenocrates and Gauis, well they decided to make my line, hoping that the power, not give directly from the tree, and passed down through humans, would be more easily handled. As it was they were nearly wrong.”  
“But why let you live in the end?” asked Adrian  
“Because of love” Amy smiled at Kamilah “I had a love to hold me to my humanity. I grew to adulthood surrounded by family and friends, I learned of the larger world, without it being thrust on me, I eased into it, learned some of my power and found love. Let's face it love is what anchors you. When I thought I had lost that love, is when I turned to darkness. But seeing Kamilah again, I realised that the power is not darkness. Darkness comes from us, our human capacity to hate, and hold anger. But we still have the capacity for love, and while we are not completely human, we were born that way, and we have all the human feelings, so we have to be more careful because we are so much stronger. Anyway getting a bit far afield here, what's happening with all of you?”

A moment of silence then Lilly grinned “Well the tech stuff here is just amazing. They have a really good power generation system, mostly solar, but it's far better than anything out in the world. And the network here is just, just…”  
“I think I understand Lil. So I need you to stay on top of that and be in charge of it.”  
“Me?”  
“Yes Lil, you. I need you hon. I gave Rheya the ideas and all, but once she got close to a vampire, she pretty much acquired their experiences, so my understanding is not as thorough. I do have the memories of geniuses and but I have not acclimated it. I need you. We need to build ourselves into an advanced nation.”  
“I’m with you Amy.”  
Amy turned to Adrain and Kamilah. Adrian was the first to speak “Well almost all of the former prisoners wanted to stay and work. Most are bringing family.”  
“And….” Amy interrupted   
Kamilah spoke up “About 95% have agreed to become donors.”  
“Oh good. I was worried about that”  
“There is more” Adrian grinned as the door to the throne room opened and a woman walked in. She was clean, rested and dressed well, but Amy instantly recognized her as the woman she had been forced to feed on. She looked on in interest as the woman walked up, stopping a few feet from her, and with a slight nod of respect “I volunteered to serve as liaison between mortals and immortals.”  
“What is your name?”  
“Arianna. Your majesty”  
Amy waved that way “Please it's Amy.”  
Arianna looked pleased at that, but remained quiet, while Amy gazed at her in surprise “Why did you volunteer. You have not been treated well.”  
“But I was by you. You gained my respect when you didn’t kill me.”  
“I am glad, and I thank you” then Amy smiled impishly “I am probably going to need an assistant. Wanna volunteer for that?”  
“What would it entail?”  
“Advising me, helping me arrange my day, the needs of everyone. Working closely with all of us. I am going to need a council” she looked around her friends “starting with all of you. But I also want to make sure we include mortals. I want this to be an inclusive country.”  
“Then I would be honored to serve” Arianna grinned “oh and I am also a donor, so whenever you need me for that just let me know.”  
“Really?”  
“Oh yes Amy. I think you have a good idea here and good motivations. I want to help.”  
“Don’t rush into saying that too quickly. There is more to do than hands to do it right now.”  
“I am ready.”  
“Good. I will need you to organize a staff to run this place” Amy waved around the room “I guess this Palace will be a good government building. While I have accepted the role of Queen of vampires, I am by no means flawless, and so will need a lot of assistance from able people.” She did glance at the throne “I really need a change of decor in here. Now Jax?”  
“The city is in good standing actually. Rheya had the vampires rebuild almost all of it. I have set up a sort of Royal guard, I guess you could say, created from members of our clans. They will serve as soldiers, and police and make sure everyone gets housed. And we are arranging to rebuild more of the city.”  
“That's amazing.”  
“What next?” Adrian asked

Amy fell silent, pondering for a moment “Well I will need to reach out to world leaders. We will need to arrange some kind of peace talks and make sure to establish ourselves as a nation. We will need trade agreements and all that. Adrian I will really need you and Kamilah to help with that. You two have centuries of experience negotiating. But reaching out to them can really wait until we have rested. I will contact them tomorrow. It's going to be a couple of weeks before everyone gets here, and I will need to wait until then before any talks can happen. I mean to ensure no vampire acts out of hand towards a mortal while coming here.”  
“So we are done for the moment” Lilly asked “cause I have a bottle of very good stuff here. We have won and should celebrate.”  
“Ah yes, celebrate they way we always have” smiled Amy “pour the drinks, let's enjoy this win.”

Drinks were poured, glasses raised and Lilly said “Ok so toast time. Here is to Amy the Vampire Queen”  
Amy flushed at that, but everyone raised their glasses “To Amy”  
“Come on guys.”  
“No Amy” Kamilah spoke up “you have done the remarkable yet again. You always do. But this time in one move you have taken control of all the vampires, and are working towards a peaceful coexistence. That is more than any of us have really been able to manage. Take the praise Amy.”  
“Ok fine, but only if we also toast to you guys. The best friends a girl could ever have. You came looking for me, not knowing what you would find. You knew I was under Rheya’s thrall and yet you still came. I will never ever take any of you for granted. So to friendship”  
“To Friendship” and they all clinked their glasses together.

The group spread throughout the room, each of them taking a good look at it, something they had not yet been able to do. Amy watched them, her heart glad they were in her life and that they had come for her, but also sad for what she must now ask of them. Each had made a home for themselves in New York, and like Amy had come to love the city, but now they would have to give it up. Sighing, Amy turned and made her way back to the balcony. Slipping between the heavy curtains, Amy stepped out into the sunlit balcony.

Moving to the edge, she leaned against the railing, breathing deeply, basking in the sunlight. It was still amazing to her that she could stand, once more, in the light of day. Sunlight was one thing she had missed upon becoming a vampire, granted she gained so much more, but still being human she had taken the sun for granted.

A shift in the air behind got her attention and she smiled, then she felt a pair of hands slip around her waist. The lavender scent of Kamilah came to her senses a second before warm lips were pressed to her cheek, long brown hair dangling over her shoulder. Amy grasped the hands, pulling them tighter around her middle, and snuggling back against the beautiful, older vampire. Kamilah’s lips touched on her cheek again, then left a blazing trail of fiery kisses along her neck. Amy gasped in response to the touch she had missed so much more than anything else. Then Kamilah spoke in her deep, resonant, confident voice “What are you doing hiding out here Amy?”  
Amy chuckled slightly. Kamilah was right, she had been hiding, knowing it was the one place where she could get some quiet time, well except for Kamilah of course. Taking a deep breath, she smiled “I just needed a moment of thought. I wanted to be sure of my course. And to spend a second with my thoughts, because I know I am asking all of you to give up so much.”  
“Not too much” Kamilah breathed “the others, like myself, are happy to help you. We all love you Amy.”  
“I know. I love you all too and that's what makes it so difficult for me. I know how much everyone was at home in New York.”  
“Our homes are where our hearts are. And since you are such a large part of our lives and our hearts, then home is where you are.”  
Amy turned around inside Kamilah’s arms, placing her own arms over the woman's shoulders. She looked deep into those beautiful brown orbs “For you yes Kamilah. I know how much you feel for me. But the others….”  
“Love you” Kamilah cut her off “that's all you need to know. Yes I am in love with you, but each of the others loves you strongly. They are happy to be here with you and to chart this new course. Adrian, Jax and I have been at the same things for a long time.” Kamilah glanced out over the city, then back to Amy’s eyes “perhaps a change of scene is called for.” Amy couldn’t help but smile at that, then Kamilah dipped down, her lips pressing against Amy’s. The kiss started tender, loving but quickly turned hungry. Finally they broke apart, Kamilah took one more look at the sunlight streaming over the city, smiling she said “I actually can’t thank you enough for this gift Amy. You have changed my life more than you can ever know, and not just by allowing me to walk at day. You have become my life.” She smiled lovingly at Amy “now come, let's spend some time with our friends for a bit.”  
“Just a bit though” Amy caressed Kamilah’s face “because I want to have a proper reunion with you soon.”  
Kamilah laughed deeply, eyes sparkling “As do I.”

Everyone once more gathered around Amy as she and Kamilah stepped carefully through the drapes. Lilly, Adrian and Jax flinched a bit at the bright light, but no harm was done to them  
“So what next?” Lilly asked, pouring herself another drink  
“We gather our people, build a government, an economy, and everything else we need” Amy shrugged nonchalantly, grinning at her best friend “nothing we can’t handle.”  
“Cool, cool, cool, but how?”  
“One step at a time” Kamilah answered her, “we need to all support Amy and make sure she is seen as the powerful ruler she is.”  
“Thank you” Amy held Kamilah’s hand rubbing her thumb across the woman's knuckles “we will also need to establish laws, and they will have to be fair for both vampires and mortals, the most important one being that of consent for feeding.”  
“Yes, that will have to be enforced strongly.”  
“But how will we know for sure what happened?”  
Amy turned to Adrian, smiling a little, then tapped her head “I will know. And I will make an example of anyone, mortal or vampire, who does not abide by my rules.”  
“You have changed” he noted the steel in her voice.”  
“Yes” Amy shrugged “I have. Thinking all of you had died forced me to grow quickly.” she swallowed “and Rheya pushing me to learn the extent of my abilities, was a large part of it.” Amy looked at each of them in turn “I have memories of eons in me. I have seen the most horrendous actions and felt joy those vampires felt upon taking life, and part of my enjoyed it, while another part of me feels guilt over the action and the feeling. All of that has changed me in many ways.”  
Kamilah wrapped an arm around her, pulled her in for a tender kiss “But you are still our Amy and we are here for you.”  
“I know, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that. I need you all. But that can begin tomorrow. Today we celebrate” Amy raised her glass, draining the wine and held it out for Lilly to refill “now we party” she glanced at Kamilah “before I take my lovely Queen here away for a proper reunion.”

An hour later there came a knock at the door. “Enter” called Amy. The door was pushed slowly open and Arianna stepped inside, with a vampire by her side. She bowed “Queen Amy” Amy raised her eyebrows at the formality. She glanced at the vampire, recognizing him as one of the recently turned. He also bowed deeply. Turning back to Arianna Amy said “Yes Arianna, what do you need?”  
“Nothing your majesty. I simply wished to let you know the Palace staff has been arranged” she indicated the vampire “this is Giorgos. He is my backup” Amy once again raised her eyebrows, wondering how this woman had managed that, but said nothing as Arianna continued “the staff is a mix of mortals and vampires, so there will be people available night and day. I have also arranged your bed chambers. Not the ones previously used, but moved you to another wing of the palace” Amy sighed gratefully about that “Thank you Arianna. We will need to find another use for that room. I do not wish to be reminded of anything that occurred in there.”  
“Yes My lady, perhaps an office for one of your staff.”  
“Sounds good. Thank you for all this.”  
“It is my pleasure” Arianna bowed again “I have also taken the liberty of setting aside rooms for your Ministers here. They are close to yours. I will be happy to show you when you wish to retire.”  
“Again thank you Arianna” then she turned to Giorgos “and thank you for helping.”  
“It is my pleasure to serve Go...Majesty” he had a deep, husky voice and Amy smiled, nodding her thanks at him catching himself “I am glad. You look tired though, and it is day, perhaps you should rest.”  
“Thank you My lady”  
Amy nodded, then threw a grin at Kamilah, before turning back to Arianna “I would like to see my new room” she held out a hand to Kamilah “it is time I reunited myself with my love.” Kamilah rolled her eyes, causing Amy to smile more. Arianna bowed and turned to the others “I can come back shortly and show each of you to your rooms”

Amy and Kamilah started to follow Arianna from the throne room, but stopped at the threshold “We will need to change this room too”  
“How would you prefer it?” Arianna asked  
“I think more of a council chamber setting would be nice. A table, places to sit and no throne.”  
“As you wish. I will take care of it.”  
Without another word she led the two women from the room, down a long hallway, a left turn and then another long hallway until they reached a room at the far end. Throwing open the door, Arianna gestured and Amy and Kamilah entered a luxuriously appointed room. Kamilah nodded in satisfaction at the rich drapes, soft silken sheets on the bed and the comfortable chairs and divans scattered around “It is nicely decorated Arianna” she said, “you have very nice taste.”  
“Thank you Lady Kamilah. I aim to please.”  
“And you do” Kamilah almost purred as she touched the sheets.  
“I am glad you are pleased” Arianna smiled slightly “I will leave the two of you alone.”

The door closed behind Arianna and Amy turned to see Kamilah staring hungrily at her. In a flash the gorgeous vampire stood before Amy, hands slipping around her waist and her lips coming in for a hungry kiss. To Amy the kiss felt like an eternity. She had longed to feel the hungry lips of Kamilah for such a long time, and now she had the vampires tongue sliding deep inside her open, eager mouth. Amy pulled Kamilah close, surrendering herself to the hunger she felt and surrendering her mouth to Kamilah’s hungry tongue. She loved how dominant Kamilah was, how hungry and the fierceness of her kiss that was tempered by love. She loved the forceful feel of Kamilah’s tongue sliding deep into her mouth and she fully surrendered her mouth to Kamilah, giving herself wholly to the vampire.

The kiss lasts forever, time stalls as Amy’s vampire senses are overwhelmed by the passion and fervor of Kamilah. Amy moans in ecstasy as Kamilah’s tongue explores her mouth. Kamilah’s embrace tightens, pulling Amy closer against her, and then their minds link, and both vampires gasp as their senses explode at feeling what each other feels.

A minute later they back off gasping for breath. Kamilah grins “That was….”  
“Amazing” Amy grinned back  
“Very much so” Then Kamilah’s eyes move up and down Amy’s body, she places an index finger against her chin, tapping it delicately “You are beautiful Amy, but you need to be naked now.”  
“Yes Kamilah”  
“Good girl. Undress, and then go to the bed” then for a split second there was hesitancy in Kamilah, and in a small voice she said “unless you would like to take control. You are the vampire queen after all.”  
Amy halted undoing the buttons of her blouse and looked seriously at Kamilah, then answered “Kamilah like you said before you are my Queen and I am yours. We rule together” then Amy’s mouth quirked at the side into a slight smile “but you are my absolute Queen in bed” Amy winked suggestively “I like you taking control.”  
Kamilah breathed a sigh, then nodded, and in a more commanding tone “Good, get naked and get on the bed, on your hands and knees.”  
“Yes my lady”

Amy teasingly undressed, showing skin slowly, all the while Kamilah watched with hungry eyes. Finally, she pushed her skirt down her legs, and slowly spun around, showing her body to Kamilah, before strutting to the bed, and climbing atop it, on her hands and knees, her rear pointed to Kamilah. Amy looked back, smiling invitingly as Kamilah stood watching, then with a hungry growl she tore her clothes off and was instantly on the bed, her soft hands stroking over Amy’s naked skin.

Amy shivered at the touch. Only Kamilah knew how to pleasure her beyond measure, and even just the lightest touch from her Queen caused waves of pleasure through Amy. Kamilah followed her hands with her mouth, gently kissing wherever her hands moved. She explored Amy’s body with her hands, mouth and tongue. Kissing and licking over her legs, back and posterior. And finally when Amy thought she could handle no more, Kamilah spread her cheeks and her tongue finally touched her. Amy groaned at the feeling of Kamilah’s tongue gliding around the outside, and Kamilah growled with lust and want, when she finally tasted Amy.

For hours they pleasured one another. They lost themselves in pleasing each other. Kamilah led Amy through a marathon of giving and receiving pleasure, their bodies tingling with touch and kiss and their minds afire with ecstasy, constantly linked so they not only felt their own pleasure, they felt what they were causing the other to feel. It was a never ending cycle of pleasure and neither Amy or Kamilah could tell where their own pleasure left off, and the others started.

Finally they lay upon the bed, panting, gasping and covered in sweat. Kamilah enfolded Amy in her arms, pulling her close and gently kissed her neck “I missed you so much my Amy.”  
“Mmmmm” Amy moaned “I missed you too. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have you in my life again”  
Kamilah tightened her hold a little, snuggling closer “You don’t have to Amy. I can feel it.”  
Amy then felt the mental connection with Kamilah. It seemed not to have diminished much since they made love “Hmmm, I can feel you too”  
“We are still connected then”  
“So it would seem Kamilah. I didn’t expect that connection to continue” Amy glanced back up at her love “but honestly I don’t mind.”  
“Nor do I Amy”

They fell silent for a while, just enjoying each others presence, physically and mentally. Amy pulled Kamilahs arms around her more and snuggled back up against the vampires lythe body. It just felt so good to have those arms around her again, to feel that strong heart beat against her back and the warmth and moisture their love making had caused. Amy’s mind wandered, moving back over everything that had happened, her breathing steadied as she relaxed in Kamilah’s arms. Then after an unknown time, Kamilah moved a bit, but only to reach up and kiss Amy’s cheek, then in almost a whisper “What are you thinking Amy?”

Amy was quiet for a moment, then in a quiet voice “Just thinking over all that has happened. What I have done.”  
“You have accomplished so much Amy. You have changed the world.”  
“And I have caused so much hardship.”  
“In my days I have caused more hardship than you have Amy and yet you continue to love and accept me. Do not think any less of yourself.”  
“I have much to redeem for”  
“As do I Amy. We can work on redemption together. But what else is going on in your mind. I feel emotions, but not the exact thoughts. I sense worry, humour and a feeling of loss.”  
“There is shame in there too Kamilah. I am ashamed over how easily I fell prey to Rheya’s desires. I gave up on us too quickly.”  
“No Amy. Rheya was dynamic, and impossible to resist. Do not blame yourself.”  
“I will try, but as to the humour. While I was thinking over everything I realized that this pretty much began when I wanted you to meet my parents.”  
Kamilah chuckled “Yes, and they disliked me then. They probably hate me now.”  
“I wonder what they think of me. I will have to visit at some point.”  
“At some point” Kamilah agreed  
Amy nodded, and snuggled even closer “But how they feel about you is irrelevant” Amy turned over, to gaze into Kamilah’s eyes. Reaching up to caress her cheek Amy finished “I love you and that is all that matters. We will build our nation together.”  
“Always together Amy” and Kamilah sealed that promise with a deep, loving kiss.

Both vampires closed their eyes, sleep finally coming to them. They had been through so much. Fighting for their lives, so many changes and had exhausted each other in love making. Now they rested, building their strength for the changes still to come.


End file.
